He succeeded! Japanese probe finally arrived at Ryugu mystery asteroid

A few days ago, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 impressed us with several photographs of the mysterious Ryugu asteroid. This little body was finally approached by the Japanese.

It took four years, but it finally happened. As we mentioned, Hayabusa 2 is a ship of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that was launched in 2014. What for? Precisely to go to this asteroid and take samples.

It's simple, but no. The Ryugu asteroid is located about 280 million km from the Earth. It was discovered in 1999 and is part of the "Apollo asteroids".

Despite its small size, has managed to capture the attention of scientists for the possibility that one day it will reach the Earth. Without going further, the one that fell in Chelyabinsk, Russia, a few years ago, was of the same type, according to El País.

Ryugu is an asteroid of type C, metallic, possibly nickel, iron, other heavy elements. It could even have traces of water. Everything remains to be seen.

Remains to do the experiments themselves. Hayabusa 2 will be positioned at a distance of 50 meters to shoot a copper bullet, with the intention of forming a crater and taking the necessary samples. Although the mission is on track, the most important thing remains: the return. We expect Hayabusa 2 to come back in 2020, and we'll see what surprises.

If you are interested in asteroids, we also tell you that all activities this week will take place as part of the International Asteroid Day. Check the note here.