(CNN) The Hayabusa2 mission successfully collected a sample from a near-Earth asteroid and returned it to Earth -- as well as the first gas sample from deep space, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. The sample was dropped off on Earth by a capsule on December 6 in South Australia. The Hayabusa2 probe accomplished its mission, collecting a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu and returning it to Earth, according to JAXA. The gas was the first step in helping the researchers to confirm that the spacecraft successfully collected a sample from Ryugu in 2019 when the spacecraft visited the asteroid. The gas likely came from the collected material on the surface and beneath the surface of the asteroid itself.

Source: CNN December 15, 2020 21:00 UTC