Tetsuya Kubota
Papers
1
Total Citations
3
H-Index
1
About
Tetsuya Kubota is a leading figure in space robotics and asteroid exploration, best known for his foundational work on the touch-down and sampling dynamics of the MUSES-C mission—the pioneering Japanese spacecraft later renamed Hayabusa. His key research areas include autonomous navigation, sample-return mechanisms, and low-gravity surface operations. Kubota’s major contribution lies in the analysis of how a spacecraft can safely contact and collect material from an asteroid with extremely weak gravity, a challenge that required novel control strategies to prevent bouncing or tipping. This work, published in 2002, has accumulated 3 citations and remains a critical reference for engineers designing touch-down sequences for small-body missions. Kubota’s insights directly enabled the success of Hayabusa, which returned the first-ever asteroid samples to Earth in 2010. His achievements have influenced subsequent missions like Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx, cementing his role as a pioneer in extraterrestrial sampling technology. For students and researchers, Kubota’s work exemplifies how meticulous analysis of dynamics in extreme environments can turn ambitious space exploration goals into reality.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Analysis of touch-down dynamics and sampling sequence of MUSES-C3 citations · 2002