Clear fireball shot as Japan probe re-enters Earth

A capsule containing asteroid samples released from a Japanese spacecraft, which could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on our planet, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere early Sunday.

It briefly turned into a fireball as it re-entered the atmosphere 120 kilometers (75 miles) above Earth.

At about 10 kilometers (6 miles) aboveground, a parachute was to open to slow its fall and beacon signals were to be transmitted to indicate its location.

The signals indicated the capsule landed safely in a remote, sparsely populated area of Woomera, Australia, said JAXA official Akitaka Kishi.

He said JAXA staff were to fly a helicopter for aerial search of its location.

The capsule successfully detached from 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) away in a challenging operation that required precision control, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

Hayabusa2 left the asteroid Ryugu, about 300 million kilometers (180 million miles) away, a year ago.

After it released the capsule, it moved away from Earth to capture images of the capsule descending toward the planet as it set off on a new expedition to another distant asteroid.

About two hours later, JAXA said it had successfully rerouted Hayabusa2 for its new mission, as beaming staff exchanged fist and elbow touches at the agency's command center in Sagamihara, near Tokyo.