Hayabusa2 Releases Capsule, Begins New Mission
Japanese scientists say the space probe Hayabusa2 has successfully released a capsule which is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
The capsule is believed to contain sand from a remote asteroid Ryugu. It is scheduled to land in a desert in South Australia.
The project team of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, says the capsule's release took place at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Japan time, at a point approximately 220,000 kilometers from Earth.
Cheering broke out in the control room near Tokyo when separation was confirmed.
The capsule is scheduled to enter Earth's atmosphere shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday Japan Time, or 4:00 a.m. local time in South Australia. A JAXA team will retrieve it after it lands there.
If the mission is successful, it will mark the second time Japanese scientists have been able to collect samples from an asteroid. Hayabusa2's predecessor performed a similar mission 10 years ago.
After the capsule's separation, JAXA scientists successfully boosted Hayabusa2's engines, sending it on a new 11-year mission to another asteroid.
Professor Kubota Takashi at JAXA said that anything could happen during the mission, but that the operation of Hayabusa2 so far has been perfect.
The probe is expected to capture images of the capsule as it heads toward Earth, and perform other tasks.
