From a 1.7-kilometre altitude, Hayabusa2 took a photo on Thursday of the surface of Ryugu on which the explorer ejected a lump of copper weighing about 2 kilograms.

Comparing this photo with one of the same area that was taken before the strike confirmed the appearance of a 10-meter-diameter crater. “It is the largest crater within our expectations,” said Kobe University Prof. Masahiko Arakawa, in charge of scientific analysis. Piled-up pieces of broken rocks, which flew up when the lump struck, were also observed around the crater. The crater was created 10 to 20 meters from the targeted site, which shows that Hayabusa2 was able to eject the copper lump to strike on Ryugu with a high accuracy.

Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 JAXA project leader, said at Thursday’s press conference in Tokyo: “We were able to leave a footprint on Ryugu. I am so happy I could jump. There are dangerous uneven areas, so we will decide [whether to make Hayabusa2 touch down on Ryugu] within one to two months.”   

Rocks which were present during the solar system’s initial state about 4.6 billion years ago are exposed at the surface of the crater, and there is a possibility that water and organic materials remain in them. Studying them is expected to help explain the history of the solar system and asteroids.

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