ASTEROID LANDING’S LOFTY MISSION

A JAPANESE spacecraft has dropped a German-French observation device to land on an asteroid as part of a research effort that’s intended to find clues to the origin of the solar system.

The Japan Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) said yesterday that the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, lander was released from the unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa2 and headed to the asteroid Ryugu.

The spacecraft went as close as 50m to the asteroid’s surface to release the boxshaped lander.

Hayabusa2 has been stationed near the asteroid since June after travelling 280 million kilometres from Earth.

The lander’s deployment follows the successful landing last month of two MINERVAII1 jumping observation rovers.

The battery-run MASCOT can operate 16 hours to collect and transmit data, including temperature and mineral varieties.

Picture: AFP PHOTO/JAXA The shadow of Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 over the asteroid Ryugu during the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) deployment; (inset) a graphic of Hayabusa2.