Japan's Hayabusa2 asteroid probe has lost its last functioning engine, according to english.news.cn. The failure was reported on Friday, October 2, 2026, and leaves the spacecraft with no working propulsion system.
The Chinese state news outlet did not provide further details on what caused the engine to stop operating or on the condition of the rest of the probe. It also did not say whether the failure can be reversed or what it means for the mission's remaining objectives.
Hayabusa2 is a Japanese spacecraft built to study a near-Earth asteroid and return samples from its surface. The mission is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA. The probe previously completed a round trip to the asteroid Ryugu, delivering material to Earth for laboratory analysis.
The loss of the final engine is a significant setback for any spacecraft, since propulsion is needed to adjust a craft's path and orientation. With no functioning engine, a probe's ability to maneuver is severely limited, though other systems may still operate.
The reporting from english.news.cn did not address how JAXA plans to respond or whether ground controllers retain any way to control the spacecraft's movement. No statement from the agency was included in the available material.
What to watch next: whether JAXA issues an official statement on the engine failure and what it says about the probe's future.
