← No. 035 TUE 03 NOV 2026

Hayabusa2 skimmed an asteroid from a quarter‑mile away.

Hayabusa2 at Torifune — Asteroid (98943) Torifune

On July 5, 2026 (JST), JAXA’s Hayabusa2 flew about 400 meters above asteroid Torifune—roughly a quarter mile. JAXA says it also made the first laser ranging during an asteroid flyby, with two LIDAR pings seconds before closest approach. The pass hit its target within 120 meters and tightened Torifune’s size and orbit, cutting its predicted path error from about 50 kilometers to under a kilometer.

Why it’s interesting

Fig. 035 A grazing arc past an oblong rock marks ~400 m altitude and a 120 m miss from the aim point; two inbound rays recall the ~20 km and ~15 km laser returns seconds before closest approach.

Why it’s interesting

A fleeting brush with a small world can still deliver hard numbers: a needle‑threaded path, a laser distance measured on the fly, and a sharper orbit for a rock we barely glimpsed. It shows how much precision modern deep‑space navigation and sensing can wring from seconds.

The longer version

Hayabusa2 swept past asteroid (98943) Torifune on July 5, 2026 (JST), reaching closest approach at 18:30:00.31 JST, about 400 meters above the surface (roughly a quarter mile). Post‑flight reconstruction placed the spacecraft about 744 meters from the asteroid’s center and just 120 meters off its predefined aim point. Images confirmed the pass, and Torifune—the object once known as 2001 CC21—came into sharp view.

JAXA reports the same flyby achieved the first laser ranging during an asteroid flyby using Hayabusa2’s LIDAR, with two returns at 18:29:56.5 and 18:29:57.5 JST, at slant ranges of roughly 20 km and 15 km. The encounter tightened Torifune’s properties: an initial size estimate of ~840 m by ~340 m (mean ~540 m, subject to refinement) and a dramatic cut in orbital prediction error from about 49.5 km (3σ) to 0.78 km (3σ).

Edition: No. 035
Date: Tuesday 3 November 2026
Subject: Hayabusa2 at Torifune
Locality: Asteroid (98943) Torifune
Period: July 5, 2026 (JST)
Field: space
Evidence: 4 sources, 4 primary

See how we got here

Found after 26 research paths · Selected from 6 candidates

01 Asteroid flybys Fast passes reveal detail in minutes.
02 Deep‑space navigation Threading a path within 120 m.
03 Laser ranging Measuring distance with returned light.
04 Hayabusa2 mission An extended tour after sample return.
05 Torifune (2001 CC21) Target asteroid about half a kilometre across.
06 July 2026 flyby 400 m altitude; first flyby laser ranging per JAXA.
→ Hayabusa2 skimmed an asteroid from a quarter‑mile away.

Sources

Nothing publishes without independent sources. How we verify →

1
小惑星探査機「はやぶさ２」、太陽系天体フライバイ探査における最小距離を更新
JAXA · 2026 · government Primary

Provides post‑flyby reconstruction: CA time 18:30:00.31 JST, 744 m from center, ~400 m above surface, 120 m targeting error, Torifune size estimate, and improved orbit accuracy.

jaxa.jp
2
小惑星探査機「はやぶさ２」、世界初の小惑星フライバイ時のレーザ測距に成功
JAXA · 2026 · government Primary

States world‑first laser ranging during an asteroid flyby; gives exact LIDAR return times (18:29:56.5 and 18:29:57.5 JST) and ranges (~20 km, ~15 km).

jaxa.jp
3
小惑星探査機「はやぶさ２」が取得した小惑星「トリフネ」の画像
JAXA/ISAS · 2026 · government Primary

Initial confirmation of successful flyby on July 5, 2026 and timestamps of images near closest approach (e.g., 18:29:58–59 JST); notes instrument observations including LIDAR.

jaxa.jp
4
News: “Torifune” is the new name for asteroid 2001 CC21 (Sep 25, 2024)
JAXA Hayabusa2 Project · 2024 · government Primary

Confirms nomenclature mapping: (98943) Torifune = 2001 CC21.

hayabusa2.jaxa.jp

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