We've received word that the $30 billion Japanese probe project to distant asteroid Ryugu will be dropping off samples from the rock, shedding light on the origins of our solar system.
However, the samples seem to be on a collision course for the South Australian desert at an undetermined time in 2020, and ARSE will be waiting.
Hayabusa 2, translated as 'Falcon', took three and a half years to venture the 300 million kilometres to intercept the asteroid Ryugu, which translates to 'Dragon Palace' for some reason.
You might remember our blog introducing the world to Japan's radical scientific bombing test to collect material from the asteroid. If not, find it here.
The probe will bring back carbon and organic matter much like its predecessor, to provide information on how matter is scattered throughout the solar system, why it exists on the asteroid and how it is related to Earth", so sayeth Dr Yuichi Tsuda, project manager at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Unlike its predecessor, Hayabusa 2 will not burn up in Earth's atmosphere, instead, it will drop off the samples in the South Australian desert without landing and dip out back into space.
Even now there are still negotiations with the Australian Government on how JAXA will pick up the samples.
One thing is for certain, ARSE plans on being there.
With Hayabusa 2 finishing up on the asteroid, her jets have already begun firing and with the position of Earth and Ryugu being much closer the trip should be only a fraction of the time of the maiden journey.
We wish Hayabusa 2 all the best during the return from the deep unknown and we look forward to seeing the results from the data collected from far beyond our world.
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