Posted on behalf of Ichiko Fuyuno.

Nearly six years after it was proposed, Japan’s Space Activities Commission has finally approved the development of Hayabusa 2, successor to the Hayabusa asteroid probe, which returned samples to Earth in 2010 (see ‘Asteroid visit finds familiar dust’).

Hayabusa 2 will aim for 1999JU3, a small asteroid about 900 metres in diameter. The asteroid is slightly bigger than the first mission’s destination, Itokawa, but it is supposedly more primitive and contains more organic or hydrated materials, which may provide clues about the origins of the Solar System. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch Hayabusa 2 in 2014 or 2015, land on the asteroid in 2018 and return to the Earth in 2020.

Hayabusa 2 will be closely based on its predecessor, but will incorporate many “lessons learned” from the problems encountered by the first mission. In the original Hayabusa, the ion-thrust engines died before the end of the mission, so the team will work to extend their operating life. The probe crashed down on the surface when it attempted its first landing, because of a malfunction of an obstacle-detection sensor. The sensor will be scrapped and navigation systems improved to enable a smooth touch-down.

Moreover, the original Hayabusa had expected to fire two bullets on the Itokawa surface to blast up debris that could be sampled, but it didn’t happen because of problems with the autonomous navigation systems. Instead of using bullets, the new team will develop an impactor to drop on the asteroid surface.

But aside from the technical challenges, funding could be a problem. For 2012, Hayabusa 2 has been allotted 3 billion yen (US$39 million), less than half the amount requested by JAXA and only a slice of the expected total cost of 26 billion yen ($342 million).

Image from JAXA.