TOKYO-A Japanese spacecraft released two small rovers on an asteroid on Friday in a mission that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system.
The Japan Space Exploration Agency said the two Minerva-II-1 rovers were lowered from the unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa2 to the asteroid Ryugu. The spacecraft arrived near the asteroid, about 170 million miles from Earth, in June.
JAXA said confirmation of the robots' safe touchdown has to wait until it receives data from them on Saturday.
Hayabusa2 approached as close as 180 feet to the asteroid to lower the rovers, waited for a minute and then rose back to its waiting position about 12 miles above the surface. JAXA said the release went
successfully.
The solar-powered rovers' voltage plunged as night fell on Ryugu, a sign that they are on the asteroid, said Hayabusa project team spokesman Takashi Kubota.
"We are very hopeful," project manager Yuichi Tsuda said. "I'm excited about seeing the pictures. I want to see the scenery of space seen from Ryugu's surface."
Friday's release bolstered the project members' confidence ahead of more difficult maneuvers in the future, Tsuda said.