The Hayabusa 2 mission that is worth $270 billion was launched in December 2014, and it landed in orbit around the asteroid Ryugu in June of 2018. Ryugu was the chosen asteroid because it is classified as primitive carbonaceous, which means it is a type of asteroid that is a great target because it shows the primordial matter that created the bodies in the solar system. Hayabusa 2 is also set to get samples and other data from Ryugu in attempts to obtain information about the origins of the solar system.
Ryugu's samples are very important for scientists because they have been protected from the effects of cosmic rays and other charged particles of wind in space.
Hayabusa 2 mission landed on Ryugu carrying four rovers to be used as for the basic sample-return mission, but JAXA or Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency decided to send the four small rovers to go around the surface of Ryugu and to get as much sample and information as possible during the exploration, even though there is no assurance that they will successfully get a sample.
Hayabusa 2 has covered 180 million miles on its journey for almost four years through space. The spacecraft takes radio signals that travel at the speed of light that takes 20 minutes, yet the spacecraft touched down on the asteroid within three feet.
The spacecraft sent out two small rovers; the second rover was named MINERVA-II2, and it landed last week to go through the space rocks and to get data, including the gravitational field that is exerted by Ryugu. Because of this exploration, scientists will be able to study Ryugu's surface and all its components.
In 2018, Hayabusa 2 released MASCOT, a lander that is as small as a shoebox. It is an acronym for Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, and it landed on Ryugu. After MASCOT tumbled for a few seconds, it traveled across the landscape for approximately 17 hours as it took measurements of magnetism and temperature. MASCOT was also equipped with MAScam, which is an LED camera that is used to take flash pictures.
MASCOT is battery operated. Once it completed its mission, the robot will be powered down. MASCOT was then deployed just 134 feet above Ryugu with no wheels, and it stopped working before it got the chance to use its spring arm to jump to a different location.
