HomeSpace & AstronomyTouch-And-Go Asteroid Sample Return

Touch-And-Go Asteroid Sample Return

Fly a Hayabusa2/OSIRIS-REx-style touch-and-go (TAG) maneuver against a craggy, low-gravity asteroid: approach, brief surface contact with a gas-jet (TAGSAM) or projectile sampler, then an immediate escape burn before the spacecraft can tip or sink into the regolith.

Space & Astronomy3DModerate60 FPS
touch-and-go-asteroid-sample-return ↗ Open standalone

This simulator animates the touch-and-go (TAG) maneuver flown by Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx to collect samples from a low-gravity, rubble-pile asteroid without ever fully landing. Pick a sampling method — a pressurized-gas jet like OSIRIS-REx's TAGSAM head, or a projectile impactor like Hayabusa2's sampler horn — then run the sequence to watch the spacecraft creep down toward a craggy, boulder-strewn surface, make brief contact while the sampler fires, and immediately fire its thrusters to escape before the uneven terrain can catch it. Camera drag/scroll orbits the scene; telemetry on the left tracks altitude, contact duration and collected sample mass through the whole approach-contact-escape cycle.

⚙ Under the hood

Fly a Hayabusa2/OSIRIS-REx-style touch-and-go maneuver against a craggy, low-gravity asteroid: choose a gas-jet (TAGSAM) or projectile sampler, then watch the full approach-contact-escape cycle as the spacecraft grabs a sample without ever fully landing.

Three.jsasteroid sample returntouch-and-goHayabusa2OSIRIS-REx

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install

What did you find?

Add reproduction steps (optional)