Date : November 27, 2020
Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa2 Returns to Earth in World First Accomplishment (Dr. Makoto Yoshikawa, Mission Manager, Hayabusa2 Project Team)
post date : 2020.11.20
The asteroid explorer Hayabusa2, which was launched in 2014, is returning to Earth with samples collected from the asteroid Ryugu. This historical achievement will take place on December 6, with the world watching. The mission has already carried out numerous world firsts at the asteroid Ryugu, such as exploring the surface of a small celestial body with rovers and accessing sub-surface materials of a celestial body outside of Earth’s orbit. The JAXA recovery team is heading to southern Australia, where the capsule with the samples in it is expected to land, to recover the capsule.
The FPCJ has invited Dr. Makoto Yoshikawa, the mission manager for the project and an associate professor at the JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, to hold a last-minute press briefing in advance of the Hayabusa2 passing by Earth, explaining the preparations underway to recovery the sample capsule, and the mysteries that will be solved with future research.
■Please note that you cannot physically attend this briefing, as it will be a Zoom webinar.
■Date: November 27 (Fri), 2020, 13:30-14:30 (Deadline for application: Noon, Nov. 26)
■Briefer: Dr. Makoto Yoshikawa, Mission Manager, Hayabusa2 Project Team
■Language: Japanese, with consecutive English interpretation
As in our standard press briefings, there will be a Q&A session at the end.
*In principle, questions will only be accepted from members of the foreign press.
■Members of the Foreign Press:
Please send any questions for the briefer or topics you are interested in to cp@fpcjpn.or.jp by 12:00 noon on Nov. 26. As there will only be a limited amount of time to ask questions during the briefing, we will collect questions and provide them to the briefer in advance.
Embassy representatives and FPCJ supporting members may also watch the briefing as observers (admission free).
■How to Apply: Please refer to either the email or fax we sent.
*We will not be accepting applications by email.