---
title: "Hayabusa returns from 7 year asteroid mission – maybe even with a payload"
description: "Japan's Hayabusa probe reentered the atmosphere just three years behind schedule, blazing like a meteor over the Australian outback. Now scientists are rushing to retrieve what remains, and see if it brought back any samples from the Itokawa asteroid which it visited. Among the technical trouble it suffered during its voyage was at least partial failure of the sampling mechanism, but it could have captured some dust, which may just be useful. Kyodo , Reuters"
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Sci-Tech"
author: "Andy Rice"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/andyrice/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2010-06-13-hayabusa-returns-from-7-year-asteroid-mission-maybe-even-with-a-payload/"
published: "2010-06-13T17:46:15"
updated: "2013-02-01T20:01:42"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1
---

# Hayabusa returns from 7 year asteroid mission – maybe even with a payload

> Japan's Hayabusa probe reentered the atmosphere just three years behind schedule, blazing like a meteor over the Australian outback. Now scientists are rushing to retrieve what remains, and see if it brought back any samples from the Itokawa asteroid which it visited. Among the technical trouble it suffered during its voyage was at least partial failure of the sampling mechanism, but it could have captured some dust, which may just be useful. [Kyodo](http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=506461), [Reuters](http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE65C1NE20100613)

By Andy Rice · Published 13 June 2010, 19:46 SAST · Updated 1 February 2013, 22:01 SAST

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