Asteroid landing a triumph for Japan's space industry

Private sector to boost collaboration with budget-strapped state agency

A computer graphic of the Hayabusa2 touching down on the Ryugu asteroid. Its rugged surface required the craft to hit a precise target for landing. (Image courtesy of JAXA via Reuters)

SHOJI KODAMA, Nikkei senior staff writer, and MASAMICHI HOSHI, Nikkei staff writer

February 28, 2019 05:15 JST

TOKYO -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's pinpoint landing of an asteroid probe was a technical achievement made possible only by working with the private sector to keep up with better-funded counterparts in the U.S. and China.