EXPLAINER: What has Japan's Hayabusa2 mission accomplished?
TOKYO (AP) — A small capsule containing asteroid soil samples that was dropped from 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) in space by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft landed as planned in the Australian Outback on Sunday. After a preliminary inspection, it will be flown to Japan for research. The extremely high precision required to carry out the mission thrilled many in Japan, who said they took pride in its success. The project’s manager, Yuichi Tsuda of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, called the capsule a (asterisk)treasure box.(asterisk) The AP explains the significance of the project and what comes next.
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