Space Topics: Hayabusa (MUSES-C)
Mission Facts
Minerva hopper and Hayabusa's shadow at Itokawa
A photo of the asteroid Itokawa from the Hayabusa spacecraft on November 12, 2005 shows the Minerva lander (dot inside the yellow circle, and detail inside the yellow square) near the asteroid. Minerva was released and activated successfully but failed to land on Itokawa. The dark bow-tie shape on Itokawa is the shadow of Hayabusa.
Credit: ISAS / JAXA
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Spacecraft
Spacecraft mass:
Total: 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds)
Lander: 519 grams (about 1.1 pounds)
Lander Minerva
Description: cylindrical, coffee-can size 'hopper'
Weight: 519 grams (about 1.1 pounds)
Mission Timeline
Launch date: May 9, 2003
Arrival at asteroid: September 12, 2005 at 01:00 UTC
First attempted descent / Minerva release: November 3, 2005 at
19:00 UTC
Minerva release / failed Minerva landing: November 12, 2005 at 19:00
UTC
Scheduled Hayabusa landing / first sampling attempt: November 19,
2005
Scheduled Hayabusa landing / second sampling attempt: November 25,
2005
Itokawa observations end: December 2005
Return to Earth: June 2007
Orbit
Type: A heliocentric or “station keeping” orbit
at 20 kilometers (about 12.4 miles) from the asteroid on arrival. Before sample
collection, Hayabusa will descend to around 7 kilometers (4 miles) away to
a “home” position before closing in to the asteroid.
Mission cost
Total: Estimated around 18,496,000,000 Japanese Yen or 170 million
US dollars
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