--- title: "A Japanese Spacecraft Is About to Shoot an Asteroid With a Bullet" description: "A team at Japanese space agency JAXA is preparing to shoot a metallic bullet at the surface of Ryugu, a tiny 1km asteroid." date: "2019-02-19" modified: "2019-03-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/japanese-spacecraft-hayabusa2-bullet-asteroid" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "asteroid" - "gun" - "JAXA" - "ryugu" --- # A Japanese Spacecraft Is About to Shoot an Asteroid With a Bullet ![A team at Japanese space agency JAXA is preparing to shoot a metallic bullet at the surface of Ryugu, a tiny 1km asteroid.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Space Guns The team behind Japanese space agency JAXA's Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission are hard at work preparing for a groundbreaking feat: firing a bullet at an asteroid. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft launched in December 2014 and [rendezvoused]() with the tiny asteroid named Ryugu this past June. Three separate robot landers gave us [stunning glimpses]() of Ryugu's surface throughout the year. The next step is for the spacecraft to drop a "small carry-on impactor" — effectively a gun barrel that shoots metal bullets — to loosen up portions of Ryugu, according to the mission's [official website](). https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1097556763375738880 ## Shooting Stars Initial data about the surface of Ryugu caught JAXA scientists by surprise. They expected powdery regolith, but observed larger pieces of gravel when the mission's two rovers, MASCOT and MINERVA-II1, landed on the asteroid's surface [last year](). Their solution: shoot the surface to pry loose a sample that could safely be carried back home on board Hayabusa2. In a test carried out in December, the Hayabusa2 team fired an identical bullet at a simulated asteroid surface inside a vacuum chamber back on Earth. The test was a success: plenty of powdery gravel sample for Hayabusa2 to bring home. https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1097417737243107328 ## One More Rover The team is still planning to deploy Haybusa2's last rover (MINERVA-II) onto the surface of the asteroid in July before bringing home its bounty towards the end of the year for analysis. Hayabusa2's next touchdown is slated for this coming [Friday](). READ MORE: [Shooting bullets into Ryugu!]() \[JAXA\] ***More on Ryugu: [Here Are The First Photos From The Robots Japan Landed on an Asteroid]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()