Asteroid Sample Return Pioneer
Hayabusa2 reached asteroid Ryugu on 27 June 2018 and touched down twice in 2019, the second time near an artificial crater it had made by firing a copper projectile into the surface, collecting the first material from below an asteroid's surface. Its capsule brought 5.4 grams of samples to Australia in December 2020, and studies have found water-bearing minerals and amino acids.
An Extended Mission
Rather than retire a healthy spacecraft, JAXA sent Hayabusa2 on to two more asteroids. On 5 July 2026 it flew past Torifune at about 5 km/s and measured its distance by laser during the pass, a first for such a fast flyby. Its final target, 1998 KY26, is due in July 2031: measurements in 2025 showed it is only about 11 metres across and spins once every 5.35 minutes, which makes it a hard but valuable test for future planetary defence.