The Japanese space agency JAXA's Hayabusa 2 probe successfully conducted a flyby of the asteroid 98943 Torifune on July 5, 2026, at a relative speed of 5.3 km/s.This mission marked the second asteroid visit for Hayabusa 2, following its 2005 mission to Itokawa.The flyby occurred at a distance of approximately 92.56 million kilometers from Earth and 121.5 million kilometers from the Sun.The probe used four instruments to gather data, including visible light cameras, infrared sensors, a lidar, and a spectrometer.

Despite the high-speed encounter, the mission team managed to complete the maneuver successfully, with telemetry confirming the operation's completion by 09:35 UTC.

Torifune, a rocky asteroid with a diameter of about 450 meters, shares similarities with Itokawa, suggesting it may be a rubble-pile asteroid formed by fragmentation.The mission's extended phase, utilizing remaining xenon fuel, aims to study more asteroids, including the planned 2031 visit to 1998 KY26.The flyby highlights Japan's ongoing efforts in asteroid exploration and planetary science.