JAXA: Hayabusa2 capsule to be released on Dec. 5

Sep 03, 2020 | News On Japan

Sep 03, 2020 (NHK) - Japan's space agency says its probe Hayabusa2 is scheduled to release in early December a capsule believed to contain samples of an asteroid.

The capsule will be disengaged at a position about 220,000 kilometers away from Earth and will then make its way back home.

A team of scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, aims to bring back sand and other materials from the asteroid Ryugu's surface with the Hayabusa2.

The probe touched down on the asteroid twice, and is heading back to Earth.

The team told reporters on Wednesday that from around November 25 Japan time, the Hayabusa2's orbit will be oriented toward Australia.

The scientists said the capsule will be separated from the probe between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on December 5 at a location about 220,000 kilometers from Earth. They said the capsule is expected to land in a desert in southern Australia about 12 hours later.

They also said that after the release, the Hayabusa2 will take images of the capsule falling into the Earth's atmosphere. The craft will be sent to another asteroid on a separate mission.

The project manager, Tsuda Yuichi, said the time between the morning and the evening of December 5 will be critical because it involves the work for the capsule's release and then the ignition of the probe's engine.

Source: Kyodo

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.