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The Hayabusa-2 probe deployed a small cabin impactor (SCI), a device filled with plastic explosive, intended to blow up an artificial crater in the asteroid Ryugu.
After deploying the ICS from the orbit of the asteroid, Hayabusa-2 has moved to a safe distance from the blast site, JAXA reported on Friday (Japan Aerospace Exploration). Agency).
If the mission succeeds, the probe will return to the crater to collect samples of rocks deep within the asteroid, which have been protected from the harsh space environment.
When the probe went to her evacuation position, she deployed a small camera, called DCAM3, which, he hopes, was able to capture the moment of detonation on the surface of the aircraft. 39, asteroid at a distance of about 1 km.
Ryugu, which measures just under 3,000 feet (914 meters) wide, is currently 195 million kilometers from Earth. The probe has been in orbit for months and is the second sample collection mission it has undertaken.
In February, he managed to shoot a "bullet" into the asteroid in order to disrupt the material from the outside, which then floated from its surface due to the low gravitational field.
According to JAXA, these particles were successfully collected by the probe.
The previously successful deployment and operation of the far-end probe could pave the way for improved observation and collection of samples on planets and other celestial bodies.
First samples of a class C asteroid
Hayabusa 2 will leave Ryugu in December 2019 and return to Earth by the end of 2020 with its precious cargo of samples to be analyzed by scientists.
If it arrives on Earth in time, it will be the first mission to report samples of a class C asteroid, which has not yet been visited.
John Bridges, professor of planetary sciences at the University of Leicester (United Kingdom), told CNN last month that the Hayabusa 2 mission was interesting because of Ryugu's class C status.
Class C is the most common variety of known asteroids.
"One thing I'm sure is that it will produce unexpected results," said Bridges, who believes that the information from Ryugu's samples could make us rethink the early evolution of the solar system.
Under their desolate surface, asteroids are thought to contain a wealth of information about the formation of the solar system billions of years ago.
Hit a "target in Brazil of Japan"
Even reaching the asteroid is a huge feat. It is the equivalent of hitting a target of 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) at a distance of 12,400 km.
"In other words, getting to Ryugu is the same as aiming for a 6-centimeter Japanese target in Brazil," said JAXA.
The spacecraft Hayabusa2 arrived on the asteroid in June of last year, after a trip from Earth started in December 2014.
CNG Jack Guy contributed to the report.
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