ESOcast HD
ESOcast HD
European Southern Observatory
Hayabusa2’s next target is smaller and faster than we thought | ESO News
1 minutes Posted Sep 18, 2025 at 9:00 am.
0:00
1:18
Download MP3
Show notes
Astronomers have discovered that the next target for Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft, the asteroid 1998 KY26, is almost three times smaller than previously thought, and spinning much faster than expected. This study was conducted using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, and its results offer important new information for the upcoming mission, just six years out from the spacecraft’s encounter with this tiny asteroid.