Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft achieved a historic first: it successfully conducted a laser-ranging experiment during a flyby of asteroid Torifune. The probe fired its LIDAR altimeter from about 20 km and 15 km away — while moving at 5.3 km/s — and the laser struck tiny surface areas (30 m and 23 m). This test proves that scientists can gather precise data (distance, density, surface reflectance) on fast-moving celestial objects, which will improve orbital predictions and planetary-defense strategies.
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