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Whose mission first drilled into a near-Earth asteroid and returned samples?
Space explorationAsteroids
Quick Answer
JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission achieved the first successful asteroid sample return from Ryugu in 2020. It returned material to Earth in a capsule.
The Full Story
Hayabusa2, led by JAXA, visited asteroid Ryugu and collected samples in 2019 before returning them to Earth in December 2020. The mission used a small impactor and sampling system to gather surface and subsurface material. Scientists value these samples because they preserve primitive material from the early Solar System. Hayabusa2 was a landmark in robotic sample-return technology.
Key Facts
1.Samples returned in December 2020
2.The target was asteroid Ryugu
3.The mission used a small impactor to sample material
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The robot mission that scooped up pieces of a primordial world."