A capsule containing precious rock fragments from the asteroid Ryugu landed on Saturday evening near Woomera in South Australia. The fragments had been collected by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa-2, that had landed on the asteroid in July 2019, after making contact with the celestial body the previous February. The capsule containing the rocky material obtained from the inside of the asteroid was then released by Hayabusa-2 as the probe returned to the Earth: entered the atmosphere, it rested on the ground thanks to a parachute.
The capsule was recovered after it started transmitting a signal with its location information. The recovery was carried out by a team commissioned by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with the Australian Space Agency. Japan said the material inside the capsule is in “perfect condition”. The rock fragments, scientists say, could provide new information about the origin of our solar system.
Capsule collection! The helicopter team immediately flew to the location identified by the DFS team. They searched for the fallen capsule by using radio waves and maps. Thank you very much!
(Collection Team M)#Hayabusa2#Hayabusa2# AsteroidExplorerHayabusa2 # HAYA2Report pic.twitter.com/KSyEbnU3Yd— HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) December 6, 2020
The capsule was then flown by helicopter to a facility in Australia, where the material inside will undergo preliminary testing before being flown to Japan.
Samples are on their way for analysis at the Woomera Test Range. @ haya2e_jaxa @AusAirForce @DeptDefence #Hayabusa2 https://t.co/eBIukNPTgu pic.twitter.com/AK0C7TCArk
— Australian Space Agency (@AusSpaceAgency) December 6, 2020
The recovery of the capsule was also possible thanks to the close cooperation between Japan and Australia. Megan Clark, who heads the Australian Space Agency, he said: “Our support work for JAXA will not be complete until we see the champion safely leave Australia and arrive in Japan.” Clark added, “Then the champion will begin to tell his story and reveal some wonderful things about how water got to Earth and how we might have formed.”
– Read also: Chang’e 5 is on the moon
Hayabusa-2 began its mission in 2014 after a launch performed at the Tanegashima space center, an island in southern Japan. It had then traveled for billions of kilometers, taking advantage of the orbital thrust of several planets for approach to Ryugu and chase him on his interplanetary journey.
Ryugu is an asteroid with a maximum size of approximately 800 meters. And of type C (carbonaceous), the most widespread variety among known asteroids, and is particularly dark and therefore difficult to observe from a distance. It was first observed in 1999.
L’asteroide Ryugu
–
Asteroids are what’s left after the turbulent processes that led to the formation of our solar system. Researchers think they contain elements and molecules that may have triggered the life-forming mechanisms on our planet: water, carbon compounds and metals. From their analysis we can therefore discover and understand many things about what happened billions of years ago, when our planet was still forming.
[PPTD] July 10 at 11:01 JST. We have confirmed the spacecraft has started its descent from the home position (altitude of about 20km). The spacecraft begun its descent at 10:46 JST (onboard time) as scheduled. The descent speed is about 40cm/s.
— HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) July 10, 2019
In early 2019, Hayabusa-2 had used small explosive charges and a bullet to scratch Ryugu’s surface, creating a small crater. The operation, very delicate, had been successful and in July the JAXA researchers had briefly posed Hayabusa-2 about 20 meters from the small crater it had created, avoiding ending up inside it, to recover some fragments. A few minutes later, Hayabusa-2 had regained altitude, moving away from its asteroid again.
– Read also: We have a new super map of the Milky Way
After releasing the capsule, the Hayabusa-2 probe has instead set off on another mission: it will travel to a smaller asteroid, which it should reach in 2031.
–
