Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft made history on Sunday, July 5, by conducting the first-ever laser-ranging experiment with an asteroid during a flyby of a small space rock named Torifune. This marked the first exploration target of Hayabusa2's Extended Mission, which aims to continue scientific research beyond the spacecraft's original goals. The experiment used Hayabusa2's LIDAR altimeter, known as LALT, a device developed from the LIDAR instrument used by JAXA's Kaguya lunar orbiter. LIDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, works by firing laser pulses and measuring the time it takes for them to reflect back, allowing scientists to calculate distances and gather detailed surface data. During the experiment, the laser was fired twice—once 56.5 seconds and again 57.5 seconds before the spacecraft's closest approach to Torifune. The shots were taken from distances of about 20 km (12.5 miles) and 15 km (9.3 miles), respectively, as Hayabusa2 traveled at a speed of 5.3 km/s (18,000 km/h or 11,185 mph). The laser beam struck only a small portion of the asteroid’s surface, covering areas of 30 and 23 meters (100 and 75.5 feet). Achieving such precision required careful control of the spacecraft’s orientation and trajectory, as well as ensuring the instruments were configured to avoid interference from background light. Scientists are now analyzing the data to determine the exact location where the laser struck Torifune’s surface. Laser ranging helps add scale to images taken by spacecraft and allows for more accurate measurements of the size and shape of celestial objects. When data from multiple laser-ranging events are combined with spacecraft tracking information, scientists can precisely determine an object’s orbit and trajectory. This is vital for predicting the future paths of asteroids, which has important implications for planetary defense and understanding potential collision risks. The success of this test demonstrates that valuable scientific data can be collected even when spacecraft are moving at high speeds. This capability could be crucial for future missions that aim to study distant objects or prepare for potential asteroid deflection strategies. The results from Hayabusa2’s experiment will contribute to a broader understanding of asteroids and the development of technologies needed for space exploration and planetary protection.