(CNN)Japan’s space agency has attempted to detonate an explosive charge on an asteroid some 195 million miles from Earth, in hopes of creating a crater and collecting samples to shed light on the origin of the solar system.
The Hayabusa-2 probe deployed a Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) — a device packed with plastic explosive — intended to blast an artificial crater in the asteroid, Ryugu.
After deploying the SCI from the asteroid’s orbit, Hayabusa-2 moved to a safe distance from the blast site, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Friday.
