Japan space probe launches new robot onto asteroid
Hayabusa2 probe launched the French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT.
(AFP) - A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot towards an asteroid on Wednesday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system.
The Hayabusa2 probe launched the French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, towards the Ryugu asteroid’s surface, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
"We can confirm that the MASCOT separated from the spacecraft as planned," the agency said in a tweet on its official account.
"I’m doing it! I’m descending to Ryugu! Can’t stop me now!" the lander’s official Twitter account @MASCOT2018 added.
JAXA tweeted shortly after the landing began that it was in communication with MASCOT, but it was not clear when the agency would be able to confirm the robot had landed safely on the asteroid, where it is expected to collect a wide range of data.
"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 at a briefing before the landing.
The 10-kilogramme (22-pound) box-shaped MASCOT is loaded with sensors. It can take images at multiple wavelengths, investigate minerals with a microscope, gauge surface temperatures and measure magnetic fields.
MASCOT’s launch comes 10 days after the Hayabusa2 dropped a pair of MINERVA-II micro-rovers on the Ryugu asteroid.
It was the first time that moving, robotic observation device have been successfully landed on an asteroid.
