Carbonaceous asteroids are thought to preserve the most pristine, untainted materials in the Solar System, a mixture of minerals, ice, and organic compounds that interact with each other.

[19] Compared to the previous Hayabusa mission, the spacecraft features improved ion engines, guidance and navigation technology, antennas, and attitude control systems.

[21] A kinetic penetrator (a high-explosive shaped charge) was shot into the asteroid surface to expose pristine sample material which was later collected for return to Earth.

[22] In July 2009, Makoto Yoshikawa of JAXA presented a proposal titled "Hayabusa Follow-on Asteroid Sample Return Missions".

[24] On 21 September 2018, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft ejected the first two rovers, Rover-1A (HIBOU)[25] and Rover-1B (OWL), from about a 55 m (180 ft) altitude that dropped independently to the surface of the asteroid.

It successfully delivered the samples back to Earth on 6 December 2020 (JST), dropping the contents by parachute in a special container at a location in southern Australia.

[39] Although this thrust is very small, the engines are also extremely efficient; the 66 kg (146 lb) of xenon[37] reaction mass can change the speed of the spacecraft by up to 2 km/s.

[39] The primary contractor NEC built the 590 kg (1,300 lb) spacecraft, its Ka-band communications system and a mid-infrared camera.

[39] In order to descend to the asteroid surface to perform sampling, the spacecraft released one of five target markers in the selected landing zones as artificial guide marks, with highly reflective outer material that is recognized by a strobe light mounted on the spacecraft.

[39] The spacecraft also used its laser altimeter and ranging (LIDAR) as well as Ground Control Point Navigation (GCP-NAV) sensors during sampling.

[39] The Thermal-Infrared Imager (TIR) is a thermal infrared camera working at 8–12 μm, using a two-dimensional microbolometer array.

[39] Hayabusa2 carried four small rovers to explore the asteroid surface in situ,[44] and provide context information for the returned samples.

Due to the minimal gravity of the asteroid, all four rovers were designed to move around by short hops instead of using normal wheels.

The Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with the French space agency CNES.

[54] MASCOT carries four instruments: an infrared spectrometer (MicrOmega), a magnetometer (MASMAG), a radiometer (MARA), and a camera (MASCAM) that imaged the small-scale structure, distribution and texture of the regolith.

[44][56] It collected data on the surface structure and mineralogical composition, the thermal behaviour and the magnetic properties of the asteroid.

[63] One finding of the research was that C-type asteroids consist of more porous material than previously thought, explaining a deficit of this meteorite type.

[72] The resulting ejected materials were collected by a "catcher" at the top of the horn, which the ejecta reached under their own momentum under microgravity conditions.

[75] The sub-surface sample collection required an impactor to create a crater in order to retrieve material under the surface, not subjected to space weathering.

For this purpose, Hayabusa2 deployed on 5 April 2019 a free-flying gun with one "bullet", called the Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI); the system contained a 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) copper projectile, shot onto the surface with an explosive propellant charge.

It was expected that the SCI deployment would induce seismic shaking of the asteroid, a process considered important in the resurfacing of small airless bodies.

However, post-impact images from the spacecraft revealed that little shaking had occurred, indicating the asteroid was significantly less cohesive than was expected.

[76] Approximately 40 minutes after separation, when the spacecraft was at a safe distance, the impactor was fired into the asteroid surface by detonating a 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) shaped charge of plasticized HMX for acceleration.

[15][32] The next step was the deployment on 4 June 2019 of a reflective target marker in the area near the crater to assist with navigation and descent.

[34] The spacecraft collected and stored the samples in separate sealed containers inside the sample-return capsule (SRC), which is equipped with thermal insulation.

Deploying a radar-reflective parachute at an altitude of about 10 km (6.2 mi), it ejected its heat shield while transmitting a position beacon signal.

The spacecraft brought back a capsule containing carbon-rich asteroid fragments that scientists believe could provide clues about the ancient delivery of water and organic molecules to Earth.

In exchange, NASA will provide JAXA a percentage of a sample of asteroid Bennu, when the agency's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned to Earth from the space rock on 24 September 2023.

[83] A November 2024 study published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science examined a sample returned from the asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission.

Researchers concluded that the observed microbial growth originated from Earthly contamination during sample preparation rather than being indigenous to the asteroid.