Hayabusa2 Reveals Asteroid Torifune Is a Peanut-Shaped Contact Binary

On July 5, JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft flew past asteroid Torifune, capturing images that show it is a contact binary—two conjoined space rocks forming a peanut shape. The closest image, taken from just over half a mile away at 11,000 mph, reveals the 1,475-foot-long object. Scientists like Andy Rivkin of Johns Hopkins and Sara Russell of the Natural History Museum in London commented on its significance. Contact binaries may comprise up to 30% of small solar system bodies, with other examples including Arrokoth, Donaldjohanson, and Dinkinesh. Hayabusa2 also used an infrared camera to measure surface temperature and roughness. The probe, which launched in 2014 and delivered samples from Ryugu in 2020, is on an extended mission to study planetary defense. While Torifune poses no threat, the flyby demonstrates rapid reconnaissance capabilities for assessing hazardous asteroids, similar to NASA's DART mission. Hayabusa2 will perform Earth flybys in December 2027 and June 2028, with a final target of asteroid 1998 KY26 in 2031, potentially the smallest asteroid ever visited.