On Dec. 3, 2014, Japan introduced the Hayabusa2 spacecraft on an objective to bring a sample from an asteroid. The asteroid is named 162173 Ryugu, however its likewise called 1999 JU3. Hayabusa2 took off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a Japanese H-IIA rocket. It got to the asteroid 3 and a half years later on in 2018. Hayabusa2 brought along 4 little rovers to drop on the asteroids surface area. Artists concept of Japans proposed Hayabusa 2 spacecraft, which would reconnoiter asteroid 1999 JU3 in mid-2018. Hayabusa 2 would toss an impactor into the asteroid, sample the resulting crater and send pieces back to Earth for study. (Image credit: JAXA/Akihiro Ikeshita) After looking for a good landing website, the Hayabusa2 mothership came down to the Ryugus surface, scooped up some asteroid dirt and aimed to return the sample to Earth by the end of 2020. By studying the asteroid sample up close, researchers intend to find out more about the history of our solar system.Catch up on our entire “On This Day In Space” series on YouTube with this playlist. On This Day in Space Archive! Still insufficient space? Dont forget to inspect out our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week. Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook..
