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Space
Space
Science
Andrew Jones

Glitch forces Japan's asteroid-sampling Hayabusa2 probe into protective 'safe mode' in deep space

An artist's depiction of Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft passing near Earth.

The Japanese asteroid-sampling spacecraft Hayabusa2 has been forced into protective "safe mode" while journeying through deep space.

Hayabusa2 successfully delivered pieces of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020, marking a triumph for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and for scientists waiting to study samples from a piece of the primordial solar system.

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