Japan’s probe Hayabusa 2 successfully lands on asteroid Ryugu

By Nikita Chaurasia  | Date: 2019-02-22

Japan’s probe Hayabusa 2 successfully lands on asteroid Ryugu
  • It is being said that the asteroid contains relatively huge amounts of organic matter and water from about 4.6 billion years ago
  • The asteroid is around 3,000 feet in diameter and has been named after an undersea palace in a Japanese folktale

Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 has successfully landed on an asteroid 170 million miles from the Earth as it attempts to collect samples and bring them back for researchers to study.

As per the officials of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), data from the spacecraft showed changes in direction and speed, suggesting it had landed on the asteroid, named Ryugu, and was blasting back to its orbiting position.

Reportedly, a live webcast of the control center showed numerous JAXA staff members nervously monitoring data ahead of the landing as they burst into applause after receiving a signal from the spacecraft that it had successfully landed.

Spokeswoman of JAXA, Chisato Ikuta was reportedly quoted saying that the agency confirmed the touchdown of the probe and the control center had received data showing that the spacecraft was working normally and is in good shape. Moreover, scientists were continuing to gather and analyze data received from the probe, Ikuta further added.

For the record, the asteroid is around 3,000 feet in diameter and has been named after an undersea palace in a Japanese folktale. It is being said that the asteroid contains relatively huge amounts of organic matter and water from about 4.6 billion years ago – the time when the solar system came into existence.

According to a report published by The Guardian, the probe aims to gather 10g of the dislodged debris with an equipment named the Sampler Horn which hangs from its underbelly. Hayabusa 2 was would fire a bullet toward the asteroid, in an attempt to stir up surface matter, which it would then carry back on Earth for analysis.

About Author

Nikita Chaurasia     aeresearch.net

Nikita Chaurasia

An accomplished professional in the field of content development, playing with words comes naturally to Nikita Chaurasia. After completing her post-graduate MBA degree in Advertising and PR, Nikita worked across numerous content-driven verticals, undertaking diverse r...

Read More >>

More News By Nikita Chaurasia

Swiftly achieves Unicorn status with $100M Series C led by BRV Capital

Swiftly achieves Unicorn status with $100M Series C led by BRV Capital

By Nikita Chaurasia

Swiftly Systems has reportedly achieved unicorn status, securing in funding through a Series C round. The prominent BRV Capital Management led this funding initiative. According to the earlier reports, Swiftly was adopted by hundreds of consumer b...

Rainforest nations unify to demand cash for climate & biodiversity preservation

Rainforest nations unify to demand cash for climate & biodiversity preservation

By Nikita Chaurasia

As per the reports, twelve nations with rainforests united to establish a collective initiative aiming to address climate change and safeguard biodiversity at summit held in Brazil. The declaration, titled "United for Our Forests," emerged ...

AI Chatbot, Llama 2, unveiled by Meta for commercial use via Microsoft

AI Chatbot, Llama 2, unveiled by Meta for commercial use via Microsoft

By Nikita Chaurasia

Meta Platforms has recently introduced Llama 2, an artificial intelligence large language model, for commercial use in collaboration with major cloud providers like Microsoft. Instead of charging for access or usage, Meta aims to share the model with...

Moderna signs agreement to explore mRNA medicines in China

Moderna signs agreement to explore mRNA medicines in China

By Nikita Chaurasia

Moderna Inc, a leading vaccine manufacturer, reportedly announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a land collaboration agreement aimed at exploring opportunities for researching, developing, and producing...

Nike and Epic Games collaborate to launch Airphoria NFT in Fortnite

Nike and Epic Games collaborate to launch Airphoria NFT in Fortnite

By Nikita Chaurasia

The American footwear design & manufacturing company, Nike and Epic Games, the creators of the popular online game Fortnite, have joined forces in an exciting new collaboration. The partnership aims to bring about a groundbreaking change in the d...