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A spaceship sent a rolling capsule to earth, carrying samples from an asteroid that could hold clues to the origin of the solar system, the Japanese space agency said.
The capsule – only 15 inches (40 cm) in diameter – detached from the Hayabusa2 aircraft 136,700 miles (220,000 km) from Earth, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
The samples of the subsurface it carries, the first ever collected from an asteroid, could contain information about life on our planet.
Celebrations in the control room to confirm the separation. Credit: JAXA
It is believed that the data may not be affected by space radiation and other environmental factors.
Yuichi Tsuda, JAXA project manager, stood up and raised his fists as those around him cheered for the success of the capsule separation.
Space enthusiasts have seen the event at rallies across Japan, including the Tokyo Dome stadium.
The capsule is expected to land on Sunday in a sparsely populated area of Woomera, Australia.
Protected by a heat shield, it will briefly transform into a fireball as soon as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere 75 miles (121 km) away.
Once it is six miles (10 km) above the ground, a parachute will open and the beacons will indicate its position to the satellite dishes installed in the target area.
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Pic: JAXA
Hayabusa2 left the asteroid Ryugu a year ago after spending 18 months nearby. Ryugu is located approximately 180 million miles (300 million km) from Earth.
Hayabusa2 will now capture images of the capsule, before heading to another small asteroid called 1998KY26, on a journey that is expected to last 10 years.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx space probe recently successfully performed a touch-and-go capture of surface samples from the asteroid Bennu.
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