Japan's Hayabusa2 Defies Warnings for Daring Asteroid Flyby, Unveiling Cosmic Secrets
JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft executed a high-risk, super-close flyby of asteroid Torifune on July 5, delivering stunning images and revealing it as a contact binary. Despite fierce internal debate among scientists and engineers over safety, the mission pushed boundaries, demonstrating critical planetary defense capabilities and setting the stage for future deep space exploration.