The word for asteroid in Japanese is shōwakusei (小惑星) and the asteroid belt is shōwakusei-tai (小惑星帯). Find their pronunciations in the section below.
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Asteroid しょうわくせい | Shōwakusei | 小惑星 | |
| Near-Earth Asteroid ちきゅうきんぼうしょうわくせい | Chikyū kinbō shōwakusei | 地球近傍小惑星 | |
| Asteroid belt しょうわくせいたい | Shōwakusei-tai | 小惑星帯 |
Interesting facts about asteroids
The Japanese space agency, JAXA, embarked on a space mission called the Hayabusa2 in 2014 to explore the asteroid Ryugu, and collect samples from it. The spacecraft carried a number of innovative technologies such as a small lander called MINERVA-II1, an explosive device called the Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI), and a sample collection instrument called the Sampler Horn.
In July 2019, five years after its launch, the Hayabusa2 landed on the surface of Ryugu and fired a projectile to collect surface material, which was then stored in the spacecraft.
The spacecraft departed Ryugu in November 2019 and released the capsule containing the asteroid samples, which landed in the Australian Outback and were retrieved by JAXA in December 2020. The entire mission is an important achievement in space exploration, because it demonstrated advanced technologies for sample collection which could provide important insights into the formation of not only the solar system, but also into the origins of life on Earth.
Find out what was discovered in the asteroid samples here.