From the archive
Japan's Hayabusa2 is returning to Earth with asteroid samples
Original source: www.engadget.com
Hayabusa2 has left the asteroid on November 13th 10:05AM Japan time (November 12th 8:05PM EST).
It has captured photos of Ryugu as it moved away and will continue taking pictures of the asteroid over the next five days.
Asteroid Ryugu captured with the Optical Navigation Camera - Telescopic (ONC-T) immediately after departure.
More importantly, they're hoping the samples can help shed light on the origin of water and organic compounds -- hence, the origin of life -- on Earth.
When Hayabusa2 gets near enough our planet in December 2020, it will drop the samples in sealed containers.