A Japanese sample-return spacecraft just gave its destination asteroid a special close-up. As Hayabusa2 swept to only 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) above the surface of 162173 Ryugu, it spotted boulders, ...

This time last year, scientists got their hands on some very rare space rocks — specifically, 5.4 grams of material from the near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu, which was returned to Earth via the ...

See multiple views from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft's touching down on asteroid 162173 Ryugu. Credit: JAXA/U. Tokyo/Kochi U./Rikkyo U./Nagoya U./Chiba Inst. Tech./Meiji U./U. Aizu/AIST ...

Samples taken from the near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu continue to provide scientists with important insights, this time about the potential beginnings of life on our planet. Hayabusa2 delivered its ...

Two new studies reveal surprising features of the asteroid Ryugu. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Tiny particles of rock gathered ...

Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrived at asteroid 162173 Ryugu last Summer, and it continues to conduct scientific experiments on the distant space rock to this very day. In February, Hayabusa2 touched ...

It’s been just over a year since JAXA’s renowned Hayabusa-2 mission arrived at asteroid 162173 Ryugu to study the dynamics of the distant space rock and collect surface samples that would later be ...

Asteroids hold many clues about the formation and evolution of planets and their satellites. Understanding their history can, therefore, reveal much about our solar system. While observations made ...

Research could have solved mysteries surrounding the origins of the spinning top-shaped asteroid Ryugu, by suggesting that it is the extinguished remains of a long-dead comet. In 2020 the space ...

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 returned to Earth in December 2020 bearing soil samples collected from a nearby asteroid, 162173 Ryugu. Those samples were divided between six scientific teams around ...

A Japanese sample-return spacecraft just gave its destination asteroid a special close-up. As Hayabusa2 swept to only 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) above the surface of 162173 Ryugu, it spotted boulders, ...

The Hayabusa2 mission has recently uncovered information on the physical characteristics of the asteroid 'Ryugu,' which, according to the conventional theory, forms from a collision between larger ...