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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Hayabusa2 conducts MINERVA-II deployment on Asteroid Ryugu [nasaspaceflight.com]

The Japanese asteroid sampling mission Hayabusa2 – launched on December 3, 2014 aboard an H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima, Japan – completed its long flight to asteroid Ryugu (formerly 1999 JU3) before – on September 21 – achieving the milestone of deploying its two tiny MINERVA-II robots/rovers.

[...] The Hayabusa2 mission is intended to image and sample the asteroid 1999 JU3, discovered in May 1999, now known as Ryugu, and to return samples of the asteroid, including samples excavated from an impactor to collect materials from under the surface, to Earth for analysis in laboratories.

[...] Besides the primary and backup sample collectors, the mission includes three MINERVA "hoppers" similar to the one used on the original Hayabusa mission that will land at several locations on the surface to study these locations with cameras and thermometers.

An impactor (SCI) with a 2 kg pure copper lump (Liner) will be used to excavate a crater on the surface, and there will be a sub-satellite that will be released to observe the impact.

Images from MINERVA-II 1 deployment [hayabusa2.jaxa.jp].

162173 Ryugu [wikipedia.org] and Hayabusa2 [wikipedia.org].

Also at BBC [bbc.com], The Register [theregister.co.uk], Space.com [space.com] (alt [space.com]).

Previously: Hayabusa2 Approaches Asteroid Ryugu [soylentnews.org]
Hayabusa2 Reaches Asteroid 162173 Ryugu [soylentnews.org]

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