Japan lands Hayabusa2 spacecraft on distant asteroid and sucks up soil samples www.cbsnews.com

Hayabusa2 is the first to successfully collect underground soil samples from an asteroid and comes ahead of a similar mission planned by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) team at another asteroid.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said it has confirmed data showing Hayabusa2 touched down and rose safely after collecting the samples as planned.
Getty"It was a success, a big success," Kubota said.
A computer graphic depicts Japan's Hayabusa2 probe touching down on an asteroid in an image released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in February 2019.
Hayabusa2 is expected to leave the asteroid to return to Earth at the end of next year, with the samples for scientific study.