Hayabusa2 Makes History With First Laser Ranging Experiment on Asteroid

In the silence between stars, a beam of light was sent outward and returned — and in that brief journey, humanity learned something new about the ancient rubble of the solar system. Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has completed the first laser ranging experiment ever performed around an asteroid, measuring the surface of Ryugu with a precision no mission had previously achieved. The achievement, built on years of patient exploration since the craft's 2018 arrival, deepens our understanding of these primordial objects while quietly advancing the tools that may one day shield Earth from harm.