June 27, 2022
On this date in 2018, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 arrived at the asteroid Ryugu. Hayabusa2 deployed two rovers and a small lander to the surface of the asteroid in order to collect a sample. A small, artificial crater was blasted into the surface so that a sample could be collected from beneath the top layers of soil.
Officials gather the capsule containing the sample return from the asteroid Ryugu. Image credit: JAXA