On This Day

Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa-2 touches down on asteroid Ryugu on mission to collect rock samples

Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese state space agency JAXA.

Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese state space agency JAXA. It is a successor to the Hayabusa mission, which returned asteroid samples for the first time in June 2010. Hayabusa2 was launched on 3 December 2014 and rendezvoused in space with near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu on 27 June 2018. It surveyed the asteroid for a year and a half and took samples. It left the asteroid in November 2019 and returned the samples to Earth on 5 December 2020 UTC.

Historical Significance

Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese state space agency JAXA.

Events Before

  1. An initiative of 300 Hollywood women called "Time's Up" announces a fight against sexual harassment

    An initiative of 300 Hollywood women called "Time's Up" announces a fight against sexual harassment

  2. Javier Bardem becomes the ambassador of Greenpeace for the protection of Antarctica

    Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem is a Spanish actor. In a career spanning over three decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics'…

  3. LeBron James becomes the seventh and youngest player (33 years, 24 days) to reach the 30,000 NBA point milestone during

    LeBron James becomes the seventh and youngest player (33 years, 24 days) to reach the 30,000 NBA point milestone during a 114-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs

  4. Former US Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar is found guilty of molesting over 150 girls and is sentenced to up to 175 yea

    Former US Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar is found guilty of molesting over 150 girls and is sentenced to up to 175 years in prison

  5. Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo equals the world record for the number of victories by a jockey with 12,844 in Rio de Jan

    Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo equals the world record for the number of victories by a jockey with 12,844 in Rio de Janeiro

Events After

  1. Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

    Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

  2. Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen 7-3 with a 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maxim

    Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen 7-3 with a 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maximums, and 53% on doubles to seal his first PDC World Darts Championship in London

  3. Australian actor Liam Hemsworth and American singer Miley Cyrus divorce after 1 year of marriage

    Miley Ray Cyrus ( MY-lee SY-rəs, born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.

  4. China locks down the city of Wuhan and its 9 million people in a belated but ultimately successful effort to control the

    China locks down the city of Wuhan and its 9 million people in a belated but ultimately successful effort to control the city's COVID-19 outbreak

  5. American actress and TV host Niecy Nash (50) divorces American electrical engineer Jay Tucker after over 8 years of marr

    American actress and TV host Niecy Nash (50) divorces American electrical engineer Jay Tucker after over 8 years of marriage

More from the 2010s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 21, 2019?
Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese state space agency JAXA. It is a successor to the Hayabusa mission, which returned asteroid samples for the first time in June 2010. Hayabusa2 was launched on 3 December 2014 and rendezvoused in space with near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu on 27 June 2018.
Why is Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa-2 touches down on asteroid Ryugu on mission to c... significant?
Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese state space agency JAXA.

Explore More