Japanese spacecraft lost control due to technical problems

Haybabusa Japanese spacecraft tasked with collecting specimens from Itokawa asteroids have encountered technical problems and this $ 100 million project is in danger of failure.

Haybabusa successfully landed on Itokawa asteroid 290 million kilometers from Earth last Saturday in the second time and scientists are optimistic about getting the material from the asteroid surface.

The six-meter-long unmanned spacecraft hopes to begin returning to Earth in mid-December, but the Japanese space exploration agency JAXA controls the spacecraft, saying it has detected a fault in one Ship position control system.

According to a JAXA spokesperson, because of this problem, they were unable to place the antenna toward Earth, and could not control the ship back without fixing the error. The spokesman said JAXA had to wait another three years if it missed the planned take-off plan in mid-December, when the distance between the Earth and asteroids was ideal for the return trip.

Haybabusa was launched in May 2003 with a budget of over $ 100 million and is expected to return to Earth in June 2007. Last February Japan brought a weather satellite to space for the first time since its defeat in 2003.