Dec 19, 2020
Hayabusa 2 returns with asteroid pieces
On December 5, 2020, the Hayabusa 2 rocket returned with rock samples from the asteroid 162173 Ryugu. The rocket was launched on 3 December 2014 and reached the asteroid on 27 June 2018. It surveyed the asteroid for a year and a half and took samples. It left the asteroid in November 2019.
The spacecraft collected and stored the samples in separate sealed containers inside the sample-return capsule (SRC), which is equipped with thermal insulation. The container is 40 cm (16 in) external diameter, 20 cm (7.9 in) in height, and a mass of about 16 kg (35 lb). The sample capsule landed at the Woomera Test Range in Australia.