Japan Tests Technologies That Could Save Earth from Asteroid Impacts

6 July 2026 - 07:23 | Last update 6 July 2026 - 07:23

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Okaz (Tokyo)

In a new step reflecting the accelerating progress in space exploration, Japan has successfully executed one of the most precise space maneuvers ever, after its Hayabusa2 spacecraft passed within less than 800 meters of a near-Earth asteroid, in a mission that is not only for scientific exploration but also a practical test of technologies that could play a crucial role in the future in protecting Earth from the threat of asteroid impacts.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced yesterday the success of the probe in carrying out a historic extremely close flyby over the asteroid Torifune (2001 CC21), as part of an advanced technical mission aimed at developing high-precision space navigation systems and enhancing planetary defense capabilities to counter any potential threats from space objects.

According to the mission control center, the probe approached to within less than 800 meters of the asteroid's center, which has a diameter of about 450 meters, while flying at a speed exceeding 18,000 kilometers per hour, equivalent to about five kilometers per second, in a maneuver described as a major engineering and technical challenge for autonomous guidance and sensing systems.

The agency stressed that the main objective of this mission was not to collect samples, but to test the accuracy of remote navigation and control systems, and to evaluate the ability of spacecraft to perform extremely complex maneuvers near small objects in space.

During the flyby, the scientific instruments on board the probe, including high-resolution cameras, thermal measurement devices, and a spectrometer, succeeded in collecting important data on the asteroid's surface nature, physical composition, and thermal properties—information that will help scientists understand the behavior of near-Earth asteroids and determine the best means to deal with them if they pose a future threat.

JAXA explained that this experiment represents a fundamental step toward developing technologies that could be used in the future to alter the course of asteroids that may threaten Earth, thereby boosting the scientific community's efforts in the field of planetary defense.

Hayabusa2 is one of Japan's most successful probes, launched in 2014, and achieved a remarkable feat in 2020 after landing on the asteroid Ryugu, collecting soil samples, and returning them to Earth. Since then, the probe has continued its extended mission in deep space, with its next destination being the asteroid 1998 KY26, which is expected to be reached by 2031.