Japanese probe to light up the sky as it lands in the Australian outback

“That fireball may seem like a grand finale, but for us it’s our alarm that tells us it’s not a drill.”

The probe’s arrival on Earth is the culmination of 10 years of effort to bring back a sample of material from a 4.6 billion-year-old asteroid.

The spacecraft, whose name means “peregrine falcon”, was launched in 2014 and traveled to asteroid Ryugu, which it obscured for over a year before sending landing craft to “leap” to the surface, collecting samples from below. the surface of the asteroid, and then back to the main spacecraft.

Japanese scientists hope the samples may contain evidence to confirm theories about how life developed in the solar system.

It is believed that, when it first formed, the Earth was a rocky, waterless world after it cooled and that water was delivered to the planet by asteroids shattering its surface during the early chaotic period. of the formation of the solar system.

If the probe found evidence of water, it could confirm that theory, although any data from the material that was reported is considered invaluable by scientists.

The spacecraft will land somewhere in a 100 by 200 kilometer landing zone, although Professor Fujimoto says it will be reduced to a radius of around 10 kilometers after receiving the weather forecast that day.

After that, JAXA scientists will rush to recover the sample as quickly as possible to prevent contamination from terrestrial sources.

“We have created what we have called a ‘quick look’ facility in Woomera, we will try to get the gas out of the sample container there,” he said.

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“If we detect gas at that stage, it probably comes from the sample … and we could make the announcement of a successful sample collection in Woomera.”

The sample will then be returned to Japan for further analysis.

It is the second Hayabusa mission and the second to use Woomera as a landing site, which according to Professor Fujimoto was because they needed a “big empty space” in a “friendly country”.

The difference between the two missions is that, in the meantime, the Australian Space Agency has been formed and taken stock of all the logistical planning for the landing this time around, including how to get the Japanese team’s authorization to travel South. Australia during the pandemic.

ASA Deputy Chief Anthony Murfett said the agency is proud to be part of the mission, as Australia has expanded its frontline and support roles in the growing global space industry.

“After the challenges we faced with the 2020 pandemic, a mission like this ends the year on an inspiring note,” he said.

The return of the champion over the weekend isn’t the end for Hayabusa2, however, the main vessel is expected to continue on to the Martian moon of Phobos to collect samples there in a similar fashion.

Professor Fujimoto said they haven’t talked about a landing site for those samples, but Woomera would make more sense.

“We have not spoken to the Australian authorities, but after our experiences so far, we want Woomera as a landing site,” he said.