The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's newest asteroid probe, Hayabusa-2, was launched Wednesday, the first step in a mission that will last six years before it returns to Earth.

After the European Space Agency successfully landed its Philae robotic probe on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, JAXA believes it will be equally successful with Hayabusa-2's asteroid mission.

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Hayabusa-2 was mounted on an H-IIA rocket that blasted-off from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center at 1:22 p.m. local time. The probe will use the Earth's gravitational forces as a slingshot to propel itself into deep space to begin its chase of Asteroid 1999JU3.

Hayabusa-2, which cost US$260 million to build, will spend 18 months studying the asteroid. It has a lifespan of six years and will reach the asteroid in 2018.It will return to Earth with samples from the asteroid in 2020.

Instead of latching itself onto the comet like Philae, Hayabusa-2 will fire small projectiles the asteroid to eject matter. This ejecta will enter the spacecraft's collector and stored in one of three chambers. These samples will be transferred to the spacecraft's reentry capsule for return to Earth.

JAXA described these projectiles as Hayabusa 2 as beanbags designed not to bounce upon impact, providing fixed reference points for landing attempts.

Hayabusa-2 is also carrying four small landers and an impactor. The Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) is a German-built probe that will land on the asteroid to measure surface conditions using an infrared spectrometer, a magnetometer, a radiometer and a camera.

Hayabusa-2 will also deploy a group of MINERVA-II rover robots on the surface of the asteroid.

After completing its mission, the Hayabusa-2 will send back the asteroid samples to Earth. JAXA hopes to find organic molecules in this carbon rich asteroid that can reveal how life began in the solar system.

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