--- title: "New Video Shows Japanese Probe Shooting Asteroid With Bullet" description: "JAXA releases a video of its Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully landing on tiny asteroid Ryugu and shooting it with a bullet." date: "2019-03-05" modified: "2019-03-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/ryugu-asteroid-hayabusa2-shoot" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "asteroid" - "JAXA" - "ryugu" --- # New Video Shows Japanese Probe Shooting Asteroid With Bullet ![JAXA releases a video of its Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully landing on tiny asteroid Ryugu and shooting it with a bullet.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Bullseye! On Feb. 22, JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft [successfully landed]() on a kilometer-wide asteroid called Ryugu and shot its [surface with a metal bullet](). Now the footage of the groundbreaking maneuver has finally arrived back on Earth. The new footage shows the mission to collect and return small rock samples to explore the nature of the Solar System's inner planets and find clues about the origin of life on Earth — and it's an extraordinary testament to the scientific power of automated space travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xnInpqMiG4 In a video released by Japanese space agency JAXA today on Twitter, the spacecraft can be seen approaching the asteroid. The moment it touches the asteroid's surface, a plume of small debris surrounds the landing gear — presumably the moment a metal bullet was fired at 300 m/s (671 mph). https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1097417737243107328 ## "Lunar Somersault" "Hayabusa2 achieved a perfect somersault over Ryugu — like a 'lunar somersault' — and then returned to the home position in a dignified manner," reads an official [Feb. 27 statement](). JAXA's team of engineers had to adjust the spacecraft's course during and after its somersault, since the place it decided to land on wasn't even. "In order to return to the home position, it was necessary to exert a force in a direction difficult to achieve due to the orientation of the spacecraft thrusters," the statement reads. Hayabusa2 first rendezvoused with the asteroid in June. Since then, it has released [two “hopping” rovers]() in September of last year for its first visit and a third rover on a [second mission in October](). The spacecraft is planning to collect more samples during two future visits. ## 10 out of 10 The Hayabusa2 team at JAXA wants to know how their spacecraft did. "For the artistry score, please evaluate, everyone!" reads last month's statement. We give it a 10. **READ MORE:** [Movie shows moment of asteroid landing]() \[*BBC*\] **More on the Hayabusa2 mission:** *[Japan Just Landed a Robot Spacecraft on an Asteroid]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()