Hayabusa2 Capsule Discovered By Helicopter
Japan's space agency JAXA has confirmed the return of a capsule released from its asteroid probe Hayabusa2.
The agency said a fireball, like a shooting star with a long trail of light, was observed in the skies over Australia.
JAXA officials said the capsule was spotted in a desert in southern Australia by a helicopter on a search flight.
Hayabusa2 released the capsule believed to contain sand samples from the remote asteroid Ryugu on Saturday Japan time.
The capsule was observed as a fireball at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Japan time, or at around 4:00 a.m. local time in South Australia.
Cheers broke out at JAXA's control room in Sagamihara City near Tokyo when the fireball was observed.
The capsule opened its parachute at an altitude of about ten kilometers and landed in the desert area. It was discovered by a helicopter shortly before 5 a.m. Japan time, or before 6:30 a.m. local time. The capsule will be retrieved and flown to Japan.
The project manager, Tsuda Yuichi, said in JAXA's streaming program that he is pleased at the return of the capsule. He added he is now relaxed and being briefed by a team retrieving the capsule.
Tsuda said that he and his team members were excited to see the capsule's beautiful re-entry.
The 5-billion-kilometer voyage to and from Ryugu that took six years has come to an end. Hayabusa2 is now heading for another asteroid on a new mission. It is expected to arrive there in 11 years.
