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Falcon has landed: Japan's Hayabusa2 probe touches down on asteroid
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/11/falcon-has-landed-japans-hayabusa2-probe-touches-down-on-asteroidFalcon has landed: Japan's Hayabusa2 probe touches down on asteroid
Guardian staff and Agence France-presse
Thu 11 Jul 2019 03.02 BST Last modified on Thu 11 Jul 2019 06.50 BST
A Japanese spacecraft has successfully landed on a distant asteroid where it hopes to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.
Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) observing the landing from a control room on the southern island of Tanegashima applauded and made “V” for victory signs after the Hayabusa2 probe landed on the asteroid on Thursday morning local time.
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The mission hopes to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth 4.6bn years ago. The agency said it would be the first time a probe has taken particles from below the surface of an asteroid.
(snip)