Visualize the orbit of Hayabusa2
Hayabusa2 orbit data
The other day (October 21, 2020), the orbit information of "Hayabusa2" was released. Orbit of "Hayabusa2" from launch to just before returning to Earth (TCM-3)
The file "hayabusa2_orbit_20201021.txt" is attached to the above article. The contents include the time since the launch in 2014, the date of calculation from the launch, Hayabusa2, the Earth, and the coordinates of Ryugu (center of the sun). Since the orbit accuracy is 1000km, I don't think it can be used for research.
In this article, I would like to visualize the orbits of Hayabusa2 and Ryugu with animation using the orbit data released. (What we are doing is just reading the file and graphing the numerical data)
The source code is available on github (implemented in Python). https://github.com/motthi/hayabusa2_orbit
Orbit in sun center coordinates
Outbound
Return trip
Orbit in earth center coordinates
If you take the difference between Hayabusa2 and the Earth, and Ryugu and the Earth, you can find the orbit as seen from the Earth.
Outbound
Return trip
Looking at this, the earth and Ryugu are quite close to each other.
- Ryugu is classified as a "potentially dangerous asteroid (PHA)". Reference: 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)
The future of Hayabusa2
The return date of the capsule to Earth is December 6, 2020. The spacecraft itself will continue to operate after that, and an exploration mission (EAEEA scenario) to the asteroid called 1998 KY26 is planned in 2031.
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