
Asteroid Analysis Reveals Prebiotic Compounds
Prebiotic compounds previously found in meteorites have now turned up in pristine samples from the asteroid Ryugu, confirming their extraterrestrial origin.

Samples from Asteroid Ryugu Are Most Primitive Material We've Found
The material that the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft returned from asteroid Ryugu is the most pristine sample we've ever gotten our hands on.

Hayabusa 2 Returns Sample of Asteroid Ryugu to Earth
The predawn operation to recover the Hayabusa 2 sample-return capsule in the Australian Outback was a success.

Potential New Targets for Japan's Hayabusa 2 Mission
The Hayabusa 2 team has laid out a proposal for an extended mission to one of two asteroids after the spacecraft's sample return this December.

Ryugu May Have Skirted Close to the Sun
Observations by the Japanese Hayabusa 2 spacecraft show subtle color differences, indicating something has reddened the asteroid’s surface.

Hayabusa 2 Leaves Asteroid Ryugu and Heads Home
The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft has completed its mission at asteroid Ryugu — including collecting samples — and is now journeying back to Earth.

Hayabusa 2 Finds Asteroid Ryugu Is Dark & Dry
Hayabusa 2’s asteroid Ryugu has some unexpected characteristics. In particular, its dry surface could spell trouble for current theories about how Earth obtained its water.

Hayabusa 2 Touches Down, Collects Asteroid Sample
The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 has touched down on Ryugu, the asteroid it's been orbiting since last summer, and collected a sample from its surface.

Touchdown: Hayabusa 2 Deploys Rovers to Explore Ryugu
The Japanese Hayabusa 2 spacecraft dispatched the first of a set of smaller missions that will explore asteroid 162173 Ryugu.

Hayabusa 2: Welcome to Ryugu
We got a peek at a new worldlet in the inner solar system this week, as the Japanese Aerospace Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa-2 gave us our first good looks at the tiny asteroid 162173 Ryugu.