A Japanese spacecraft has dropped two small rovers onto the surface of an asteroid zooming through space.
If they land safely, the unmanned Hayabusa-2 would be the first spacecraft to ever successfully place robotic rovers onto a space rock.
Japan’s space agency (JAXA) hopes that the mission will provide clues about the origin of the solar system.
The agency is expecting to receive data from the rovers at some point on Saturday confirming whether or not the mission has been a success.
Hayabusa-2 first arrived near the asteroid, known as Ryugu and situated 280 million km (170 million miles) from Earth, in June.
The spacefract approached as close as 55m (180 feet) to the asteroid, dropping the rovers and waiting for a minute before rising back to its waiting position about 20 km (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, according to Hayabusa project team spokesman Takashi Kubota.
