The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has lost contact with MINERVA, the small robot that was deployed by the Hayabusa spacecraft to the asteroid Itokawa. For the past two days, this robot has been wandering aimlessly after a failed drop.
MINERVA, equipped with temperature sensors and cameras, has failed to reach the surface of the asteroid Itokawa. Mission controllers have been unable to communicate with the robot.
This marks another setback for the MUSES – Hayabusa mission, following the unsuccessful landing attempt on November 4th on Itokawa. As planned, the spacecraft is scheduled to land twice on November 19th and 25th to collect samples from the surface of this celestial body. Once the capsule is filled with samples, it will return to Earth in 2007.
