July 8, 2026
Asteroid drama at 5 km per second
Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to conduct flyby of Torifune asteroid
Japan’s asteroid probe nailed the flyby — and the internet is obsessed with the pics, the timing, and the vibe
TLDR: Hayabusa2 safely flew past the Torifune asteroid, a key step in Japan’s long-running mission to master close asteroid encounters and future Earth-defense tech. In the comments, people swung between awe, nitpicking the headline timing, and joking that after all that effort, the photo better not be blurry.
Japan’s Hayabusa2 space probe just pulled off another blink-and-you-miss-it asteroid flyby, sweeping past Torifune and checking in safely with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, better known as JAXA. On paper, that’s the big news: this is the same probe that famously brought asteroid dust back to Earth, and now it’s still out there doing high-speed drive-bys on the way to another space rock in 2031. But online? The real action was in the reactions.
One camp was instantly in awe of the sheer difficulty of the job. A commenter basically said: imagine showing up to work after all that effort if your big asteroid photo turns out to be one blurry smear. That became the thread’s unofficial mood: equal parts admiration and anxiety. Another user raced in with a mini spoiler, saying it already seems successful and linking to a report suggesting Hayabusa2 did snag an image. Crisis averted — at least for now.
Then came the classic comment-section drama: the headline police arrived. One user pointed out that the “will conduct flyby” framing was already old news because the flyby had happened Sunday. Tiny wording fight? Yes. Very internet? Also yes.
And because no space thread can stay on topic for long, someone shouted out ESA’s Philae comet lander like a proud fan bringing up their favorite band at the wrong concert. Meanwhile, another commenter was just delighted that JAXA’s mission website lets regular people feel like they’re in Mission Control. Honestly, that wholesome nerd joy may have won the whole thread.
Key Points
- •JAXA said Hayabusa2 completed its flyby of the Torifune asteroid without incident at around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Japan time.
- •The flyby is part of the Hayabusa2 Extended Mission, which began in 2020 after the probe returned Ryugu samples to Earth.
- •During the operation, Hayabusa2 was expected to pass as close as 800 meters from Torifune’s center at a relative speed of 5 kilometers per second.
- •JAXA plans to provide detailed results at a Monday news conference and may release images if the probe successfully captured them.
- •The agency says the mission will help develop precise high-speed asteroid maneuvering technology for potential future planetary defense efforts.