(23543) Saiki Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 16 October 1993 by Endate, K., Watanabe, K. at Kitami.
Takanao Saiki (b. 1976) is an expert in aerospace engineering at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. He was the chief engineer of the Hayabusa2 mission. Hayabusa2 succeeded in creating an artificial crater on the surface of (162173) Ryugu in 2019 with a small impactor developed by Saiki.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #11, 6), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Saiki is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Saiki is 2.67 au from the Sun and 2.24 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 23543 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 UK |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.22 km (#7,399 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.234 |
| Rotation period | 6.03 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.07 |
| Orbital period | 4.82 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.86 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.66 – 3.05 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0669 |
| Inclination | 3.32° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.66 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.