Japan space officials keen to analyze asteroid samples

Japanese space officials said they are excited about the return of a capsule that landed safely in the Australian Outback on Sunday while carrying soil samples from a distant asteroid, and that they are eager to begin analyzing the “treasure” inside.

The capsule's delivery by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft completes its six-year sample-return mission and opens the door for research into finding clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth.

The capsule will be packed in a container as soon as its preliminary treatment at an Australian lab is finished and brought back to Japan this week, officials said during an online news conference from Woomera.

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

After it released the capsule on Saturday, it set off on a new expedition to another distant asteroid.

Scientists say they believe the samples, especially ones taken from under the asteroid’s surface, contain valuable data unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors.

They are particularly interested in organic materials in the samples to find out how they are distributed in the solar system and related to life on Earth.

More than 70 JAXA staff had been working in Woomera to prepare for the sample return.

They set up satellite dishes at several locations in the target area inside the Australian Air Force test field to receive the signals.