Japan space probe lands new robot on asteroid
TOKYO: A Japanese probe landed a new observation robot on an asteroid yesterday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system.
The French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, launched from the Hayabusa2 probe, landed safely on Ryugu and was in contact with its team, the lander’s official Twitter account said.
“And then I found myself in a place like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery and danger!,” the @MASCOT2018 account tweeted.
“I landed on asteroid Ryugu!” MASCOT is expected to collect a wide range of data on the asteroid, some 300 million kilometres from Earth.
“It is hugely significant to take data from the surface of an asteroid, we have high expectations for the scientific data,” Hayabusa2 mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa said.
MASCOT’s launch comes 10 days after the Hayabusa2 dropped a pair of MINERVA-II micro-rovers on the Ryugu asteroid.
The rovers will take advantage of Ryugu’s low gravity to jump around on the surface — travelling as far as 15m and staying above the surface for as long as 15 minutes — to survey the asteroid’s physical features with cameras and sensors.