Japan awaits the return of the spacecraft with asteroid soil samples

The Japanese space agency says its final checks have confirmed that the Hayabusa2 probe is on track to return to Earth a capsule containing samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on our planet.

TOKYO – The Japanese space agency said its final checks confirmed that the Hayabusa2 probe is on track to return to Earth a capsule containing samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on the our planet.

The spacecraft is making its final approach on its planned trajectory and is scheduled to separate the capsule from 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) away Saturday afternoon in a challenge that requires precision control. The capsule is scheduled to land on Sunday in a remote and sparsely populated area of ​​Woomera, Australia.

Hayabusa2 left asteroid Ryugu, about 300 million kilometers (180 million miles) away, a year ago and was flying as smoothly as expected, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

“We trained alone and are now fully prepared. So I’m just praying that the equipment that hasn’t been used yet is working well and that there will be good weather in Australia, “said Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 project manager at JAXA on Friday.” We are so excited. “

Hayabusa2’s return with the world’s first subsurface asteroid samples comes weeks after NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully carried out a touch-and-go capture of surface samples from asteroid Bennu. China, meanwhile, announced this week that its lunar lander has collected underground samples and sealed them inside the spacecraft for return to Earth, as space developing nations compete in their return missions to Earth. sample.

Many Hayabusa2 fans gathered to watch the capsule separation moment during public viewing events across the country, including one at the Tokyo Dome stadium.

In the early hours of Sunday, the capsule, protected by a heat shield, will briefly transform into a fireball as it reenters the atmosphere 120 kilometers (75 miles) above Earth. About 10 kilometers (6 miles) above the ground, a parachute will open to slow its fall and light signals will be transmitted to indicate its location.

JAXA personnel installed satellite dishes at various locations in the target area to receive signals, while also preparing marine radar, drones and helicopters to assist in the search for and retrieval of the pan-shaped, 40-centimeter (15-inch) capsule. ) in diameter.

Scientists say they believe the samples, especially those taken from beneath the asteroid’s surface, contain valuable data unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors. They are particularly interested in the analysis of organic materials in samples.

JAXA hopes to find clues as to how the materials are distributed in the solar system and are related to life on Earth.

For Hayabusa2, it is not the end of the mission that began in 2014. After dropping the capsule, he will return to space and head to another small distant asteroid called 1998KY26 on a journey that is expected to last 10 years one way, for a possible search that includes finding ways to keep meteorites from hitting Earth.

So far, his mission has been fully successful. He landed twice on Ryugu despite its extremely rocky surface, and has successfully collected data and samples during the years and a half he spent near Ryugu after arriving there in June 2018.

In his first touchdown in February 2019, he collected surface dust samples. On a more challenging mission in July of that year, he collected underground samples from the asteroid for the first time in space history after landing in a crater he had created earlier by blowing up the asteroid’s surface.

Asteroids, which orbit the sun but are much smaller than planets, are among the oldest objects in the solar system and therefore can help explain how the Earth has evolved.

Ryugu in Japanese means “Dragon Palace”, the name of a castle at the bottom of the sea in a Japanese folk tale.

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