--- title: "Watch a Japanese Spacecraft Grab Rock Samples From Tiny Asteroid" description: "Watch footage of Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 return to the site of where it bombed asteroid Ruyugu in order to scoop up rock samples." date: "2019-07-29" modified: "2019-07-29" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-japanese-spacecraft-grab-rock-asteroid" categories: - "Space" tags: - "asteroid" - "hayabusa-2" - "hayabusa2" - "JAXA" - "ryugu" - "the digest" --- # Watch a Japanese Spacecraft Grab Rock Samples From Tiny Asteroid ![Watch footage of Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 return to the site of where it bombed asteroid Ruyugu in order to scoop up rock samples.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Rock Grab Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft returned to the site where it bombed the asteroid Ryugu to scoop up samples of rocks on July 10. And now, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has released epic footage of the historic event. https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1154653671000440833 The images that make up the video were taken at intervals between half a second and five seconds, during the period when the spacecraft was between [8.5 and 150 meters above]() the asteroid's surface. The space probe has been in the tiny asteroid's orbit since June 2018, where it has been trying to dislodge rock samples by [shooting a bullet]() and [tossing an explosive]() at the space rock. The plastic explosive left a [10 meter crater]() in the kilometer-wide asteroid. ## Asteroid Bullying Hayabusa2 successfully landed on Ryugu for the first time on February 22, before firing its bullet at the asteroid's surface. It also dropped [two "hopping" rovers]() onto the asteroid's surface in September of last year, and a third rover [in October](). Haybusa2 is still planning to release a future lander on the asteroid's surface before embarking on its lengthy return trip back to Earth in December 2020. It will also be attempting to drop ROVER-2, a small robot that's equipped with a thermometer and multiple cameras. **READ MORE:** [Watch the moment Hayabusa2 grabbed rock samples from asteroid Ryuga]() \[*CNET*\] **More on Hayabusa:** *[Japan's Probe Returns to Site of Asteroid Bombing, Takes Pics]()* ## 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]()