Scientists: Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe target may be a Soviet spacecraft

Japan's space agency JAXA's Hayabusa2 probe is heading towards asteroid 1998 KY26, which it will encounter in 2031. A new scientific study offers a surprising hypothesis: the target may not be a naturally formed celestial body, but rather a defunct Soviet spacecraft lost in space decades ago.

Japan's space agency JAXA has sent its Hayabusa2 probe toward its final destination – a small, rapidly rotating asteroid called 1998 KY26. The encounter is scheduled for 2031, but already the scientific community is buzzing over a pre-print study that questions the true nature of the target.

A new study proposes a startling hypothesis: 1998 KY26 may not be a naturally formed celestial body at all, but rather a Soviet spacecraft lost in space decades ago. While this is a speculative theory that has not undergone independent peer review, it has garnered considerable attention within the global scientific community.

Hayabusa2 has already proven its capabilities – the mission brought back samples from asteroid Ryugu to Earth in 2020, helping scientists better understand the early history of the solar system. Now the probe is heading toward a new target to study smaller and more rapidly rotating celestial bodies.

If the hypothesis turns out to be correct, it would be one of the most exciting discoveries in the history of astronomy and space exploration. According to experts, definitive answers will only come when Hayabusa2 reaches the object's vicinity in 2031 and sends back the first detailed images and measurement data to Earth.