Mission: Hayabusa 2 Options

[spdf]

JAXA wants to continue with Hayabusa 2. However there is/was a huge fight about the budget. Main problem was the budget for the launch vehicle. 2 months ago or so there was a report which said, that JAXA had to find another launch vehicle or the project gets cancelled. Now the Italian space agency played saviour and overed the VEGA. So finally we might see another Hayabusa in 2011.


It was mentioned here:
http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/080110Final_IPEWG-ProgramBook.pdf

[ZLD]

Somewhere I read that the Hyabusa development costs were around US$150m and the NSSDC claims the spacecraft alone was around $100m of that. I would imagine Minerva was relatively cheap in comparison. However, the US had planned a lander to be on Hyabusa as well but pulled out due to costs. It always seems to come down to politics in the end. Also, all missions to comets and asteroids, with exception to Hyabusa, have been flybys so far, making it difficult for a lander to have much time to explore before it would lose radio contact.

[djellison]

Also, all missions to comets and asteroids, with exception to Hyabusa, have been flybys so far,

No - NEAR rendezvoused with, orbited and then landed on Eros.