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Hayabusa 2 successfully swung by Earth on way to asteroid: JAXA

(Mainichi Japan)

Japanese version
The Earth as seen by the Hayabusa 2 space probe at 1:09 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2015, following its swingby of the planet on Dec. 3. Seen to the bottom right of the image is the continent of Antarctica. (Photo courtesy of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

The Hayabusa 2 space probe successfully swung by Earth on the night of Dec. 3 and shifted onto its target orbit to continue towards the Ryugu asteroid, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Dec. 14.

    JAXA made the announcement after conducting measurements of the Earth swingby -- a navigational maneuver whereby the space probe utilized the Earth's gravitational pull in order to speed up and shift onto its intended orbit.

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