Japan's space rovers lowered to the asteroid to collect data

TOKYO (AP) – A Japanese spacecraft launched two small vehicles on an asteroid Friday in a mission that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system.

The Japanese Space Agency said the two Minerva-II-1 vehicles had been lowered from the unmanned Hayabusa2 spacecraft to the Ryugu asteroid.

The spacecraft arrived near the asteroid, about 280 million kilometers (170 million miles) from Earth, in June.

JAXA said the confirmation of the safe landing of the robots must wait until they have received their data on Saturday.

Hayabusa2 's approached the asteroid at nearly 55 meters to lower the rovers, waited a minute and then returned to his waiting position at about 20 kilometers above the surface. JAXA said the exit went smoothly.

The voltage of the solar-powered rovers dropped as the night fell on Ryugu, a sign that they were on the asteroid, said Takashi Kubota, spokesman for the project's team. 39; Hayabusa.

"We have a lot of hope," said project director Yuichi Tsuda. "I'm excited to see the pictures, I want to see the space decor seen from Ryugu's surface."

The two rovers, each the size of a cookie box, allow you to capture images of the asteroid and measure surface temperatures before a larger rover and a lander are released. later.

Rovers move by "hopping" up to 15 meters (50 feet) at a time because the extremely low gravity of the asteroid makes rolling difficult.

They can continue to jump as long as their solar panels and energy last, JAXA said.

Friday's release boosted the confidence of project members before the more difficult maneuvers ahead, Tsuda said.

Hayabusa2 must attempt three brief landings on the asteroid to collect samples in the hope of providing clues about the origin of the solar system and life on Earth. Since arriving in Ryugu, scientists have been looking for suitable landing sites on the uneven surface, and their first attempt is expected in October.

The spacecraft is expected to release a Franco-German lander called MASCOT carrying four observation devices in early October and a bigger rover called Minerva-II-2 next year.

Hayabusa2, launched in December 2014, is expected to return to Earth by the end of 2020.