An extremely rare asteroid made mostly of metal also has an extremely rare price tag.

Space capsule containing asteroid sample lands in Australian outback

Ellen RansleyNCA NewsWire

Scientists hope an asteroid capsule full of space rocks, the first of its kind to be collected, will help unlock the secrets of Earth’s origins.

The 4.5-billion-year-old rock samples taken from an asteroid some 11.76 million kilometres from Earth landed at Woomera in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Experts believe the fragments could help solve enduring mysteries about the solar system and Earth.

They were obtained by Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2, which launched in 2014 and took the samples from the asteroid Ryugu in February and July last year.

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The capsule, carrying two samples from the asteroid, including the first ever sub-surface fragments, touched down before sunrise at the remote military base after travelling more than 5.25 billion kilometres.

The fragments date back to the earliest stages of the formation of the solar system and are expected to provide valuable insights about its origin.

Ryugu is thought to be the type of asteroid that carbonaceous meteorites come from, and if the samples do indeed match they could contain amino acids, the building blocks of life.

The asteroid’s individual rocks are likely 4.6-billion-years-old or more, but the asteroid’s surface itself is said to be anywhere between 8.9 and 158 million-years-old.

Photos captured the capsule becoming a fireball over the South Australian outback as it approached Earth.
Camera IconPhotos captured the capsule becoming a fireball over the South Australian outback as it approached Earth. Credit: Supplied, JAXA

At 4.31am on Sunday, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency confirmed the capsule had landed safely, and said the operation was “perfect”.

A livestream captured the dramatic moment the capsule became a fireball as it entered Earth’s atmosphere, shooting across the night sky before it landed.

The scene drew large applause from the Japanese space agency’s control room.

“We will now move into scientific observation operations, and observe the Earth and moon with scientific instruments,” JAXA said after the capsule was collected.

The capsule and its precious contents will be transported to Japan for analysis.

Meanwhile, the mothership Hayabusa2 will continue on an 11-year odyssey to visit at least two more asteroids, and potentially catch glimpses of exoplanets orbiting distant stars.

Australia has been proud to play a part in JAXA’s achievement, with CSIRO facilities enabling the use of key navigation, command, control and telemetry services.

Glen Nagle from NASA’s Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex said Australia had been working with its Japanese partners since the mission launched in 2014.

“The future looks bright as Australia and Japan continue to work together to explore new worlds,” he said.

The spacecraft Hayabusa2 took pictures of the asteroid Ryugu during its journey of more than 5 billion kilometres.
Camera IconThe spacecraft Hayabusa2 took pictures of the asteroid Ryugu during its journey of more than 5 billion kilometres. Credit: News Regional Media

Experts around the country agree the return is a historic milestone for the global space, science and research community.

The deputy head of the Australia Space Agency, Anthony Murfett, said “Successfully realising the sample return under pandemic restrictions will not only be important for space science and universal discovery, but also for Australia and Japan’s cooperative relationship which spans over many decades.”

“Working on a mission with JAXA is central to one of the ASA’s key roles — to open doors internationally and work with international counterparts on space activities.”

Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, an astronomer at UNSW, said the landing was a “marvellous example” of how the scientific and technical cooperation between nations had been further strengthened.

“JAXA and their partner agencies should be congratulated on delivering an important and technically challenging mission to return samples of pristine rock from beneath the surface of a primordial near-Earth asteroid,” she said.

“The samples will help planetary scientists to better understand the composition and motion of materials such as water and biological molecules in the solar nebula, which birthed our planet almost 4.6 billion years ago.”

Australian Minister for Science, Karen Andrews, said the mission had been a very important scientific and technical feat.

“This landing will enable scientists to gain insights into the origin and evolution of the solar system, including organic matter and water, which could hint at how our oceans came to be,” she said.

“It also reinforces Australia’s place as a trusted partner in space, as we look to triple the size of the local sector and create 20,000 new jobs by 2030.”