The Hayabusa2 spacecraft, operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has experienced a failure of its final operational ion engine. This development was reported on October 1, 2026, following the conclusion of the probe's primary mission at the asteroid Ryugu.
The spacecraft is currently on an extended mission with a target arrival at the asteroid 1998 KY26 in 2031. The probe is equipped with four ion engines, labeled A, B, C, and D. Engines A, C, and D degraded during the initial flight, leaving engine B as the primary propulsion unit for the extended mission.
Engine B failed in mid-August, and subsequent attempts to restore its functionality were unsuccessful. JAXA now intends to attempt a repair by combining functional components from the other three engines, a technique previously utilized during the mission of the original Hayabusa probe.
Engineers plan to initiate the recovery effort in the second half of October. Hayabusa2 launched in December 2014 and has already exceeded its original service life by nearly 12 years, resulting in significant wear across its onboard systems. Success remains uncertain for the 2031 mission.
