The Japanese space exploration ship has made great strides in its mission to find the source of life

On June 27, the Japanese unmanned aerial probe Hayabusa2 approached an asteroid about 300 million kilometers from Earth.

The Japan Aerospace Research Agency (JAXA) said Hayabusa2 is currently about 20km away from the asteroid called Ryugu and will remain in this orbit for a year and a half in search of additional clues to the formation. of the solar system as well as its origin.

According to the plan, this ship will make three landings on Ryugu to collect soil samples. The first landing is scheduled for September or October.

Japan launched Hayabusa2 unmanned space exploration ship.

The ship, equipped with cameras and sensors, will also carry out Ryugu's monitoring mission and study the gravity, temperature and surface conditions of asteroids. Hayabusa2 together with the collected soil samples will return to Earth at the end of 2020.

According to previous observations, the Ryugu asteroid is a diamond-shaped asteroid, estimated to be about 900 meters in diameter, orbiting the Sun for a period of 16 months, spinning near the orbits of Earth and Mars.

This type-C (carbon) asteroid is thought to contain a large amount of water and organic matter, which are essential for life. Scientists hope that soil samples collected from this asteroid will shed light on the cause of life on Earth.

Hayabusa2 was launched from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in December 2014 with the mission to travel to Ryugu asteroid to collect rock samples.

Hayabusa2 had a smooth journey and adjusted its trajectory from the beginning of June before reaching its destination. The cost of this research project is 30 billion yen (equivalent to 274 million USD).

Improved compared to the previous version of Hayabusa, Hayabusa2 with a mass of about 600 kg including more durable ion engines creates 25% more thrust and an upgraded antenna to transmit more data to Earth.

The 'sunbae' Hayabusa only collects specimens from the asteroid surface, while Hayabusa2 will use a metal press to dig under the planet's surface to access matter unaffected by the asteroid. Sun radiation as well as other objects.

In 2010, Hayabusa returned to Earth, bringing the specimens on the Itokawa asteroid surface for the first time. After being launched in 2003, on a journey of 6 billion km, Hayabusa met with many difficulties such as engine malfunctions and gyroscopes, sometimes losing contact with the Earth.