spacecraft

The object is the planned 2031 destination for Japan's Hayabusa2 extended mission, and the updated measurements provide essential details for planning spacecraft operations only six years before the encounter.

That point, called the azimuth, is where the process of bringing the spacecraft down to the landing point would begin.

Starting in 2005, the spacecraft returned a flood of detailed images that reshaped scientists' view of Saturn and its moons.

The spacecraft are expected to arrive there in 2027 after testing a new route to the planet, which could give future launches more flexibility.

Applause resounded once more as the spacecraft successfully deployed.