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JApan's spacecraft Hayabusa 2 deployed two target markers around the asteroid Ryugu. The deployment took place at 17:17 BST on 17 September at an altitude of 1 km. In the tiny gravity of the asteroid, unpowered markers always fall to its surface. They should land during the weekend or the beginning of next week at the latest.
Markers of a width of 10 cm are covered with a highly reflective material that makes them easy to observe from the main spacecraft, which has now reached a height of 20 km (12.4 miles). Following their descent, planetary scientists can deduce the precise gravitational field generated by the asteroid, which reveals its internal structure. Hayabusa 2 arrived in Ryugu on June 27, 2018. He has already launched three small rovers on the surface and made two touchdowns to collect surface materials.
Following the deployment of its final lander on board, scheduled for October, the satellite will leave the asteroid and begin its return to Earth. Hayabusa 2, due to arrive in December 2020, will publish a capsule containing the samples of asteroids collected. This capsule will return to Earth's atmosphere and use parachutes to land in Australia.
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