Japan's Hayabusa 2 successfully touches down on Ryugu asteroid
The probe was due to fire a pellet into the surface of the asteroid to try to capture dust
Kate Lyons and Ian Sample Science editor
Thu 21 Feb 2019 20.07 EST
A Japanese spacecraft has successfully touched down on a speeding asteroid 300 million kilometres from the Earth as it attempts an audacious manoeuvre to collect samples and bring them back for scientists to study.
The Hayabusa 2 probe touched down on the asteroid Ryugu at around 11:30pm GMT on Thursday. Data from the probe showed changes in speed and direction, indicating it had reached the asteroid’s surface, according to officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
JAXA spokeswoman Chisato Ikuta said the control centre had “received data that shows that the probe is working normally and is healthy.”
Scientists are continuing to gather and analyse data from the probe, she said.
The probe was due to fire a bullet at the Ryugu asteroid, to stir up surface matter, which it will then collect for analysis back on Earth. The asteroid is thought to contain relatively large amounts of organic matter and water from some 4.6 billion years ago when the solar system was born.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/22/japans-hayabusa-2-successfully-touches-down-on-ryugu-asteroid
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JAXA
CELEBRATION IN HAYABUSA2 MISSION CONTROL ROOM AFTER SUCCESSFUL TOUCHDOWN ON RYUGU
A packed control room celebrates a subtle shift in Hayabusa2's radio signal, marking the moment of its touchdown and sample grab on Ryugu on 21 February 2019 at 22:49 UTC.
