The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has literally released out-of-this-world video footage.
The Hayabusa2 space probe touched down for a second time on the asteroid Ryugu on July 11 and the space agency has now released video of it.
The new footage from the space agency -- made up of still images captured at intervals of between 0.5 and five seconds -- provides a sped-up view of the touchdown.
Before the spacecraft landed, it dropped a bright, white marker onto the asteroid’s surface, which helped mission staff carefully land the probe.
The video was compiled from its Cam-H monitor camera which was pointed past the craft's rock sampling mechanism.
After the probe landed on the asteroid, it fired a metal bullet into the ground to blast up debris. The probe then captured these pieces before the spacecraft lifted back into orbit.
The Hayabusa2 probe first briefly touched down on the asteroid in February. Then in April, the same spacecraft fired an explosive-laden copper plate into the surface to blast away pieces for study.
