A shooting star-like fireball with a long tail was observed over Australia, confirming the return of the capsule of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft.

Capsules that landed in the desert area of ​​southern Australia were discovered by a helicopter they were searching for and are expected to be recovered later.

"Hayabusa2" separated the capsule from the main body on the 5th in order to return the capsule containing the sand of the explored asteroid "Ryugu" to the earth.

Then, at around 2:30 am on the 6th of Japan time, it was observed as a shooting star-like fireball with a long tail over Australia, and the return of the capsule was confirmed.



At JAXA's control room in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, the workers stare at the image of the sky over Australia displayed on the monitor, and when the fireball is confirmed, they applaud each other and rejoice in the return of the capsule. Was there.



The capsule opened a parachute at an altitude of around 10 km and landed in the desert area of ​​southern Australia, where it was discovered by a helicopter in search before 5 am.

In the future, we plan to collect it and transport it to Japan by plane.



Yuichi Tsuda of JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, who is the project manager of "Hayabusa2", said in the program distributed by JAXA, "I'm really glad. Now I'm relaxing and receiving reports from the local collection team. We are also impressed by the beautiful entry into the atmosphere. "



This is the end of the exploration of the asteroid "Ryugu" that flew about 5 billion kilometers over 6 years, but the main body of "Hayabusa2" has a lot of fuel left, so it is heading for a new mission, another It will arrive at the asteroid 11 years later and will be explored.

White tail of capsule "Phenomenon that molecules emit light"

Regarding the return of the Hayabusa2 capsule, Hidehiko Agata, director of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, said, "I am very pleased. Hayabusa2 has greatly contributed to increasing interest in astronomical space science following the first machine. It is a valuable existence that gives dreams and hopes while there are few bright topics such as the spread of coronavirus infection. "



And, as for the reason why the capsule had a white tail, "It is a phenomenon that molecules contained in the surrounding atmosphere emit light by temporarily increasing the energy by the same principle as a shooting star. Unlike a shooting star, the capsule is a metal. Because it is made of, the tip of the fireball was clearly visible. "