2023 Volume 1 Article ID: 26
Hayabusa2, a Japanese asteroid sample return probe, arrived at Ryugu, a C-type asteroid, on June 27, 2018. It departed from Ryugu on November 13, 2019, after completing all the missions in the asteroid proximity phase. The propulsive cruise with its ion thrusters began on December 3, 2019. After the cruising phase, the spacecraft moved to the final precise guidance phase to the Earth, and it released its reentry capsule on December 5, 2020. The reentry capsule was retrieved in Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia, then Hayabusa2 completed its nominal mission. After the capsule release, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft performed a divert maneuver to pass by the Earth and started its extended mission to rendezvous with 1998 KY26, a fast-rotating small near-Earth asteroid. This paper outlines the trajectory design of the extended Hayabusa2 mission. First, the selection of target bodies is described, and then the trajectory design, including an asteroid fly-by and multiple Earth gravity assists, is shown.
