{"ok":true,"trend":{"id":657475,"platform":"mastodon","region":"global","key":"the only working ion engine on japan's hayabusa2 unmanned probe, which is on an extended mission to its new target aster","title":"The only working ion engine on Japan's Hayabusa2 unmanned probe, which is on an extended mission to its new target aster","url":"https://mastodon.social/@thejapantimes/117367607169952901","first_seen":"2026-10-01T21:53:17.593257Z","last_seen":"2026-10-01T21:53:17.593257Z","last_rank":6,"peak_rank":6,"last_volume":2,"peak_volume":2,"seen_count":1,"score":0.9853125,"category_hint":"space","section":"science","category":"space","summary":"The sole remaining functioning ion engine aboard Japan's Hayabusa2 probe has failed, according to reports citing the space agency. The unmanned spacecraft is on an extended mission toward a new target asteroid after successfully returning samples from asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020. The engine failure raises questions about whether the probe can complete its planned journey.","why":"The failure of the last working engine threatens the future of a high-profile extended asteroid mission.","tone":"neutral","entities":["Hayabusa2","JAXA","Ryugu"],"summarized_at":"2026-10-01T21:55:02.540687Z","meta":{"tag":"space","via":"scan","kind":"status","lang":"en","instance":"mastodon.social","tag_uses":281},"nw":null,"promo":null,"kind":null,"importance":null,"hidden":false,"hide_reason":null,"judged_at":null,"title_en":"Hayabusa2's only working ion engine breaks down","section_name":"Science","category_name":"Space","timeline":[{"captured_at":"2026-10-01T21:53:17.593257Z","rank":6,"volume":2}],"posts":[{"platform":"mastodon","url":"https://mastodon.social/@thejapantimes/117367607169952901","author":"thejapantimes","title":null,"snippet":"The only working ion engine on Japan's Hayabusa2 unmanned probe, which is on an extended mission to its new target asteroid after bringing samples from asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020, has broken down. https://www. japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/…","posted_at":"2026-10-01T20:46:00.579000Z","likes":2}],"elsewhere":[],"window":"7d"}}