As the United States celebrated its bicentennial with firework displays this weekend, two Asian countries made their own celestial impressions. On Sunday, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft conducted an extended mission to fly by the peanut-shaped asteroid named Torifune, having already delivered samples of another asteroid back in 2020.
Just hours later, China’s Tianwen-2 arrived at its target asteroid after a billion-kilometre journey, planning to retrieve and return samples to Earth next year. This marked the second time this weekend that an Asian space agency had achieved such a significant milestone.
The Hayabusa2 mission launched in 2014 and initially rendezvoused with asteroid Ryugu in 2018 before returning home. Its efficient propulsion system left it with enough xenon propellant to make another two flybys, one of which was the recent encounter with Torifune.
These missions showcase humanity’s ongoing exploration into space and its desire to understand more about our cosmic neighborhood. While Earth was enjoying its own forms of celebration below, these spacecraft were making their own history above.
