Japan to test technology to destroy ‘small and fast’ asteroid set to collide with Earth

Japan's space exploration agency, JAXA, has repurposed its Hayabusa-2 spacecraft. The new mission is to intercept two distant asteroids and test technology. This technology could be used to destroy an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.

Officials from JAXA have not confirmed if Hayabusa-2 will attempt to intercept and change the course of the asteroids. However, a space expert has suggested that this may occur when the spacecraft nears the end of its operational lifespan and its final destination, the asteroid 1998 KY26, in 2031.

Hayabusa-2 was launched in December 2014 with an initial six-year mission to intercept the near-Earth asteroid, 162173 Ryugu. The spacecraft arrived at its destination in June 2018 and surveyed the asteroid for approximately 18 months. It also collected samples of debris by firing a pellet into the asteroid's surface and drawing in the materials that were thrown up. These samples were returned to Earth in a capsule that landed in the Australian outback in December 2020. Scientists are still examining the samples for clues about the origins of the universe.