JAXA · Aerospace · 2003
World's first asteroid sample return mission. Rendezvoused with near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa in 2005, performed two touch-and-go sampling attempts despite numerous technical failures, and returned a small sample (~1500 dust particles) to Earth in 2010. Mission was nearly lost multiple times — fuel leak, ion engine failures, communication blackouts — but survived through ingenious recovery operations.
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View full interactive profile, comparisons & videos →| Category | Aerospace |
| Sub-type | Sample Return Spacecraft |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Year | 2003 |
| Origin | Japan |
| Also known as | MUSES-C, 隼 |
| Announced | 1996 |
| Released | 2003-05-09 |
| Dimensions (H×W×D) | 1600 × 1600 × 2000 mm |
| Weight | 510 kg |
| Frame | Aluminum honeycomb |
| Degrees of freedom | 3 |
| Payload | 1 kg |
| Chipset | MIL-STD-1750A processor |
| Made in | Japan (ISAS) |
