On April 5, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) attempted to bomb an asteroid in order to collect a sample of it. Ultimately, they hope to use the sample to gain some insight into the creation of our solar system. This mission is a follow-up to a previous sample-collection expedition in September 2018.
The Hayabusa-2 probe arrived at the asteroid Ryugu, located 195 millions miles away from Earth, carrying a Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) a device loaded with a plastic explosive. While on route to the asteroid’s far side, the probe deployed a DCAM3 camera. The detonation was successful and the probe captured pictures of the impact. There have been no updates as to whether Hayabusa 2 has collected any samples thus far.
Hayabusa 2 will leave the asteroid in December 2019 and return to Earth by the end of 2020. Ryugu is a c-class asteroid, the most common type, and if Hayabusa 2 returns safely it will be the first spacecraft to collect a sample from a c-class asteroid.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Nene Narh-Mensah of Montgomery Blair High School