MAN MADE OBJECTS ON ASTEROID 25143 ITOKAWA

Non-exhaustive list of artificial objects that have reached the surface of 25143 Itokawa, which is an Apollo-class asteroid orbiting the sun between Venus and Mars. This potato-shaped near-Earth object measures approximately 330 meters in diameter and is potentially hazardous.

Itokawa was visited by the JAXA sample-return mission Hayabusa in November 2005.

Over 4 artificial objects have been identified.

COSPAR IDname typemissionquantity on surfacemassstatusdate/epoch (UTC)
2003-019AHAYABUSA MARKER 2Target markerHAYABUSA (MUSES C)1deployed on the surfaceNovember 9, 2005
2003-019AHAYABUSA MARKER 3Target marker with aluminum sheet bearing 880,000 signaturesHAYABUSA (MUSES C)1deployed on the surfaceNovember 19, 2005
2003-019ASAMPLING PROJECTILES?5 gram tantalum bulletHAYABUSA (MUSES C)2?fired, impact?November 25, 2005