Hayabusa means "peregrine falcon" in Japanese. The Hayabusa2 probe is an ambitious mission to make three separate landings on an asteroid, drop rovers and experiments onto its surface, and return a capsule containing asteroid samples to Earth.
Hayabusa2's target is the C-type (carbonaceous) asteroid 1999 JU3. Landing is planned for June 2018. A capsule containing asteroid samples shoud be returned to Earth in December 2020.
Hayabusa2 carries backups of hardware that failed on the first Hayabusa, helping to ensure a successful return of asteroid samples. The probe also carries a lander and a pair of rovers for exploring the asteroid’s surface. An explosive impact device (SCI) allows Hayabusa to study the asteroid’s composition from a safe distance.
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