---
title: "Japanese Space Probe Returning to Earth, With Chunks of Asteroid"
description: "Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe started making its long trek back to Earth after collecting asteroid rock samples some 186 million miles away."
date: "2019-11-14"
modified: "2019-11-14"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-space-probe-earth-asteroid"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "asteroid"
  - "hayabusa2"
  - "ryugu"
  - "the digest"
---

# Japanese Space Probe Returning to Earth, With Chunks of Asteroid

![Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe started making its long trek back to Earth after collecting asteroid rock samples some 186 million miles away.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/japanese-space-probe-earth-asteroid.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: JAXA\</em\>*

## Heading Home

Earlier this year, Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe pulled off the unprecedented feat of landing on a distant asteroid and [collecting rock samples](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-japanese-spacecraft-grab-rock-asteroid>) to take back as a souvenir.

Now, the probe is beginning its long trek back to Earth — a bittersweet moment for the team behind the craft.

"I'm feeling half-sad, half-determined to do our best to get the probe home," project manager Yuichi Tsuda told reporters, as [quoted by *Agence France-Presse*](<https://www.sciencealert.com/japan-s-space-probe-is-returning-to-earth-with-an-actual-piece-of-asteroid>). "Ryugu has been at the heart of our everyday life for the past year and a half."

## An Amazing Journey

It's been an amazing journey for Hayabusa2.

In September 2018, the space probe [successfully landed](<https://futurism.com/hayabusa2-asteroid-ryugu-collect-samples>) a number of robot rovers onto the tiny asteroid Ryugu some 300 million kilometers (186 million miles) away, sending back countless fascinating pictures in the process.

Hayabusa2 had to take some drastic measures to free up Ryugu's rock samples, [tossing an explosive](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-releases-video-asteroid-bombing>) at the asteroid in April to dislodge rocks small enough for it to scoop up during a brief touchdown.

## Saying Goodbye

Hayabusa2 sent its [last stereo image](<https://twitter.com/DrBrianMay/status/1194758550775619584>) of Ryugu on Wednesday and should reach Earth in 2020.

As part of a ["Goodbye Ryugu" campaign](<http://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/en/topics/20191113e_SAYONARA_Ryugu/>), the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency is asking the public to tweet messages or even send postcards via snail mail to say goodbye to the lonely asteroid.

**READ MORE:** [Japan's Space Probe Is Returning to Earth With an Actual Piece of Asteroid](<https://www.sciencealert.com/japan-s-space-probe-is-returning-to-earth-with-an-actual-piece-of-asteroid>) \[*Science Alert*\]

**More on the mission:** *[Watch a Japanese Spacecraft Grab Rock Samples From Tiny Asteroid](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-japanese-spacecraft-grab-rock-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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)