TL;DR: Itokawa was the first asteroid from which samples were collected and returned to Earth. Its rubble pile structure - a loose aggregation of boulders and gravel - has implications for asteroid mining: s
Itokawa was the first asteroid from which samples were collected and returned to Earth. Its rubble pile structure - a loose aggregation of boulders and gravel - has implications for asteroid mining: such structures may be easier to excavate but require different anchoring techniques.
Composition
Silicate (olivine, pyroxene); rubble pile structure; metal inclusions
Orbit
0.99-1.69 AU (near-Earth), period 1.52 years
Mining Potential
Medium - first asteroid sampled (Hayabusa 2005); rubble pile structure relevant for mining engineering
Mission
JAXA Hayabusa (sample returned 2010)