Japan launches new robot toward asteroid

TOKYO -- A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot toward 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, toward the Ryugu asteroid's surface, said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

"We can confirm that the MASCOT separated from the spacecraft as planned," the agency, also known as JAXA, said in a tweet.

The agency added 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.

The 10-kilogram box-shaped MASCOT is loaded with sensors. It can take images at multiple wavelengths, investigate minerals, 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 asteroid.

It was the first time that moving, robotic observation device have been successfully landed on an asteroid.

While the rovers will spend several months on the asteroid, the MASCOT has a maximum battery life of just 16 hours, and will transmit the data it collects to the Hayabusa2 before running out of juice.

The results could help answer some fundamental questions about life and the universe, including whether elements from space helped give rise to life on Earth.

AFP