TOKYO -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will on April 25 observe an artificial crater made on the asteroid Ryugu by its space probe Hayabusa2, the agency announced on April 11.
In the experiment on April 5, it detonated a small carry-on impactor that separated from the probe at a height of about 300 meters above the asteroid's surface. The impactor fired a copper slug into the surface, which managed to strike within several dozen meters of the target.
Prior to the detonation, the probe moved away to avoid getting hit by debris. After separating from the probe, a detachable camera captured images of the impact, showing rocks and sand flying up.