Asteroid landing by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe postponed to next yr

Japan's space agency said Thursday it will postpone space probe Hayabusa2's touchdown on the Ryugu asteroid to around late January from October due to the difficulty in finding a good landing site.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said surfaces of the asteroid, about 300 million kilometers from Earth, are rougher than initially thought, and more time is needed to ensure the precise control of the probe.Hayabusa2 will conduct two landing rehearsals this month, JAXA said.The agency will not be able to communicate with the probe in November and December when it will be on the other side o…READ FULL ARTICLE