Japan seeks clues to life's origins by blasting asteroid

Stone and sand after bullets were fired into the surface by the Hayabusa2. Pic/AFP

Tokyo: A Japanese probe on Friday launched an explosive device at an asteroid, aiming to blast a crater in the surface and scoop up material that could shed light on how the solar system evolved.

The explosive mission is the riskiest yet attempted by the Japanese space agency's Hayabusa2. Hayabusa2 successfully released the so-called "small carry-on impactor" as scheduled, as the probe hovered just 500 metres (1,650 feet) above the asteroid Ryugu, that spins 300 million kilometres from Earth.

Hayabusa2 moved smartly away from the area to avoid being damaged by debris from the explosion or colliding with Ryugu while also releasing a camera to capture images of the event.

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