Japan space probe, size of a fridge, flies near asteroid in planet defence test

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The Japanese space probe Hayabusa2, roughly the size of a refrigerator, successfully conducted a fly-by near the asteroid Torifune as part of a planetary defense test to explore ways to deflect asteroids from Earth impact. The mission was led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

A Japanese space probe performed a fly-by of a near-Earth asteroid on Sunday, in a test mission for technology that could help protect the planet from space rocks. The fridge-sized Hayabusa2 was due to fly within 800 metres (0.5 miles) of asteroid Torifune, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) scientists said earlier, a trial run to see whether such a probe could deflect a potentially dangerous space rock away from Earth. The mission comes after Nasa deliberately smashed a spacecraft into...