PROCYON

PROCYON
Mission typeAsteroid flyby, technology demonstration
OperatorUniversity of Tokyo / JAXA
COSPAR ID2014-076D Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.40322Edit this on Wikidata
WebsitePROCYON on University of Tokyo site
Spacecraft properties
Launch massTotal: 67 kg (148 lb)
Dry mass64.5 kg (142 lb)
Dimensions0.55 × 0.55 × 0.67 m (1.8 × 1.8 × 2.2 ft)
Power25
Start of mission
Launch date3 December 2014, 04:22 UTC (2014-12-03UTC04:22Z)
RocketH-IIA 202
Launch siteLA-Y, Tanegashima Space Center
End of mission
Last contact3 December 2015 (2015-12-04)
Flyby of Earth
Closest approach3 December 2015
Flyby of (185851) 2000 DP107
Closest approachIntended: 2016

PROCYON (Proximate Object Close flyby with Optical Navigation) was an asteroid flyby space probe that was launched together with Hayabusa2 on 3 December 2014 13:22:04 (JST). It was developed by University of Tokyo and JAXA. It was a small (70 kg, approx. 60 cm cube), low cost (¥500 million) spacecraft.[1]

It was intended to flyby the asteroid (185851) 2000 DP107 in 2016,[2] but the plan was abandoned due to the malfunction of the ion thruster.[1]

  1. ^ a b プロキオン:小惑星への接近観測断念. Mainichi Shimbun. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. ^ 超小型探査機「PROCYON」 二重小惑星を目指して航行中 [Very Small Probe PROCYON Cruising Toward a Binary Asteroid]. Space Elevator News. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2015.