Hayabusa 2, a spacecraft designed to bring back samples from an asteroid to earth, was launched today from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at JAXA’S Tanegashima Space Centre. Hayabusa means “Falcon” in English, according to RT News.

Hayabusa 2, a spacecraft constructed by NEC Corporation, weights 590 kilograms and is roughly the size of a refrigerator, according to NASA Spaceflight. JAXA says the spacecraft’s design is similar to that of Hayabusa, a spacecraft that was launched in 2003 to rendezvous with an asteroid in 2005.

JAXA says the asteroid currently targeted is a C-type asteroid named 1999 JU3, a carbon-rich asteroid that follows an orbit between Venus and Mars and crosses the orbit of Earth. It takes 1.3 years for the asteroid to complete an orbit. According to JAXA’s website, the asteroid is thought to contain organic matter and water.

Two solar arrays atop Hayabusa 2 power four ion thrusters. Two high-gain antennae, operating in the Ku and X bands, will be used to communicate with earth. The spacecraft is on a planned six-year mission. It is scheduled to arrive at Asteroid 1999 JU3 in 2018 and conduct research for 18 months before returning to earth in 2020.

Hayabusa 2 is equipped with a device that will blast a crater into the asteroid to create matter that the spacecraft can collect and bring back to earth. In order to land on the asteroid, the spacecraft is also equipped with five target markers that will be launched onto the surface of the asteroid to help guide Hayabusa 2 to the surface. The targets are designed to not bounce upon impact in order to create fixed reference points.

The spacecraft is also fitted with a Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, which will also land on the asteroid to take measurements of conditions on the surface. Measurements will be taken with devices including an infrared spectrometer, a magnetometer, a radiometer and a camera.

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