The name for asteroid (98943) 2001 CC21, which Hayabusa2 will flyby in July 2026, has been decided as "Torifune"!

The name was selected from everybody's suggestions submitted during the "2001 CC21 Naming Campaign" which ran from December 6, 2023 to May 9, 2024, with assistance from the Children's Selection Committee [1] whose members were elementary and junior high school students. The selected name, Torifune, was then proposed to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) by the LINEAR team [2] in the USA who were the discoverers of the asteroid. After a review by the IAU, the new name was officially announced in the WGSBN Bulletin, Volume 4 #13 (issued on September 23, 2024 [3]. The bulletin text reads:

(98943) Torifune = 2001 CC21 Discovery: 2001-02-03 / LINEAR / Socorro / 704 Torifune (an abbreviation of Ame-no-torifune) is a god in Japanese mythology. It is also the name of the god's ship, which can travel safely at high speed like a bird and steady as a rock. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft will perform a flyby of this asteroid, and the name expresses the hope that Hayabusa2 will be able to safely conduct the high-speed encounter.

This description was discussed by the nine members of the Children's Selection Committee. The selection team were asked to choose the most appropriate name based on the good understanding they had gained of the Hayabusa2 flyby mission. One challenge was that asteroid 2001 CC21 orbits close to the Earth, and the IAU requires that such near-by asteroids should carry names with a mythological origin. This resulted is a lively discussion and the name Torifune was selected.

About 60 names had been proposed by at least five people during the naming campaign. The Children's Selection Committee considered each of these 60 names during the selection of Torifune. Ten people had proposed Torifune, or Ame no Torifune, in the campaign. [4]

With everyone's help, we were able to find the perfect name for the asteroid that Hayabusa2 will flyby in 2026. We would like to thank the members of the LINEAR team who readily accepted the name choice for 2001 CC21, all of those who submitted a name suggestion during the campaign, the Children's Selection Committee, and everyone who supports Hayabusa2.

The Hayabusa2# Team continues to move forward with preparations for the Torifune flyby, which is now just around the corner in about two years. We appreciate your continual support!

Caption: Commemorative photograph with the Children's Selection Committee members.

[1] Children's Selection Committee
The selection committee that consisted of nine children and members of the Hayabusa2 Extended Mission Team. The children included 5th grade elementary school students, and 2nd grade junior high school students from YAC (Young Astronauts Club of Japan) and KU-MA (Children, Space, Future Association) who were chosen based on their application and essay that expressed their motivation.

[2] LINEAR Team
The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project is a US team that observes celestial bodies that approach the Earth. Asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu that were explored by Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 were also discovered by the LINEAR Team.

[3] WGSBN
The Working Group Small Body Nomenclature is the group that decides on the names for small celestial bodies at the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

[4] The total number of applications for the "2001 CC21 Naming Campaign" was 3082.