Japan’s Hayabusa2 to take samples from Ryugu asteroid

The Hayabusa 2 was launched in late 2018 to study the Ryugu asteroid. The mission was to take samples and also monitor the asteroid for a year and a half. It carried 4 small rovers that will investigate the asteroid.

Now, the mission has gone a step further to fire a bullet on the asteroid. This will create a crater on its surface to suck up a sample of space rock.

Ryugu is a carbonaceous asteroid. Such asteroids are expected to preserve organic compounds, ice and minerals. This will help to study about the origin of life. The vehicle will return to earth by December 2019. The mission will also bring along the surface samples and below surface samples along with it.

The Hayabusa mission was successful that brought asteroid samples in 2010. Hayabusa 2 was launched in 2014 and it reached the asteroid in June 2018