Japanese space probe reaches asteroid to take samples

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 has reached an asteroid after a three and a half year journey, aimed at collecting samples and bringing them back to Earth to help in the study of the origins of life on our planet, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said on Wednesday, EFE reports.

According to a JAXA statement, the unmanned mission has reached its destination, situated around 280 million kilometers from Earth, and over the next year and a half, it will attempt to make three brief landings on the asteroid, named "Ryugu."