Asteroid Ryugu studied by Hayabusa2’s ONC-T camera.

In December of 2020, the Hayabusa2 mission delivered samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth, marking a major milestone in space exploration. Now, the first results from studies of those samples are being published in a series of scientific papers. The Hayabusa2 mission was launched in 2014, and after a six-year journey, it managed to successfully collect samples from the asteroid and deliver them back to Earth.

The samples were studied extensively by an international team of scientists and the results of their research are being published in a series of papers in various scientific journals. The findings of these papers are expected to shed light on the origins and evolution of asteroids, as well as provide invaluable insights into the formation of our solar system. Overall, the Hayabusa2 mission has been an incredible success and it is only the beginning of many more exciting findings to come.

Hayabusa2 was launched by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2014 and arrived at Ryugu in June of 2018. Over the course of 18 months, the spacecraft delivered rovers, landers, and a penetrator to the asteroid to collect data, samples and images. In November of 2019, Hayabusa2 departed Ryugu and returned its collected data and samples back to Earth where it was studied by scientists. The mission was a success, providing insights into the structure of an asteroid and the material it is composed of. Hayabusa2 is currently on an extended mission to visit the asteroid 1998 KY26.

First sample of asteroid Ryugu.

In November of 2021, JAXA delivered samples of the asteroid Ryugu to NASA, Researchers supported by NASA have been working together with scientists from Japan and other countries to investigate the material and discover remarkable details about the early Solar System. The samples collected from Ryugu are one of the most significant space missions in history, as they provide a wealth of data on the chemical makeup and evolution of asteroids, as well as how our Solar System evolved over time. Furthermore, the research conducted by NASA and its collaborators can help us better understand the formation process of planets, which will improve our chances for future exploration and colonization.

The new series of publications about samples from asteroid Ryugu has revealed exciting new findings. Analysis of samples from the asteroid has indicated that there are thousands of different carbon-based molecules, including amino acids and aromatic hydrocarbons, present in the material. In addition to these organic molecules, minerals present in the asteroid suggest that it formed in the presence of water. The composition of Ryugu is comparable to other carbon-based meteorites found on Earth, but what makes its samples unique is that they haven’t been altered by heat or by any chemical, biological, or physical processes as they made their way through the atmosphere and to the Earth’s surface. This discovery provides new insight into the formation and evolution of asteroids in our solar system.

Samples from Ryugu are pristine pieces of material from the dawn of the Solar System. Not only do these samples act as a window into our Solar System’s formation and evolution, but they can even provide us with insight into how our own planet, Earth, came to be habitable. These samples offer us invaluable information on the composition of our early Solar System, and how it changed over time to create an environment that can sustain life.