As part of an experiment, the probe deposited a projectile with about 4.5 kilograms of explosive on the surface of the celestial body. After the blast, she was quickly maneuvered to the other side of the asteroid so as not to be hit and damaged by the flying material and to prevent a collision with Ryugu.
The first images Jaxa published on Twitter are meant to show the effect of the mission. In the future, scientists want to investigate the resulting crater on Ryugu.
The asteroid mission Hayabusa 2 was launched in December 2014. Among other things, the researchers hope to gain insights into the original matter of our solar system.
The probe had reached Ryugu on June 27, 2018. At the end of February 2019, she successfully landed on the asteroid at the so-called point L08E1 and shot him with a five-gram tantalum ball.
By the end of 2020, the spacecraft will return to Earth.
