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Flying over 3.2 billion miles on a 6-year mission, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency @JAXA_en returned to Earth on-time and on-target. In a historic first, the Hayabusa2 capsule was dropped. It housed the precious 16-inch (40-centimeter) diameter sub-surface samples from asteroid Ryugu.  Landing took place around 4 a.m. local time in Australia.

Successful landing 

For 2 weeks, the JAXA recovery team of scientists supported by Australian Airforce helicopter crews have been gathering in the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia. They have been working tirelessly in the secure facility operated by the Australian Defense Department. The Hayabusa2 sped across the Australian sky like a fireball. The heat shield was jettisoned and the parachute deployed. Explosives were used to deploy the parachute. Then re-entry was confirmed. On Sunday morning a helicopter followed the radio beacon signal sent out by the capsule from the capsule. The team traveled by helicopter to the landing site just after sunrise. The main mission was to locate the sample. PPE was used to assure there was not any issue with a late detonation or an alien infection. Once the sample was secured, the team returned to Woomera base where they will prepare the sample for transport back to Japan.   In a tweet, Collection Team M. confirmed that the Hayabusa2 capsule is in “perfect condition.” Mission accomplished JAXA. This was a great effort of international cooperation. During a press conference on Sunday, Dr. Yuichi Tsuda, project manager for the mission said, "We collected the treasure box," he said, adding: "The capsule collection was perfectly done," adding that the container was not damaged. ---------------------------------------- Have a story you want USA Herald to cover? Submit a tip here and if we think it's newsworthy, we'll follow up on it. Want to contribute a story? We also accept article submissions – check out our writer's guidelines here.