Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

AROLSO is the Authorized Return of Overseas Launch Space Object.  This is permission to land the Sample Recovery Capsule aboard JAXA’s Asteroid Explorer “HAYABUSA” in Australia. The authorization came from Australia’s Space Licensing and Safety Office.

HAYABUSA was launched May 9, 2003 and fired up the Ion engine on May 27, 2003 heading for the asteroid Itokawa.  The spacecraft arrived at the asteroid on September 12, 2005.  If getting to the asteroid wasn’t enough, HAYABUSA actually landed on the asteroid twice.  The first landing involved the release of a target marker with some 880,000 names.  The second involved getting a sample of the asteroid!  That sample is due to reach Earth, specifically the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia on June 13 at 11 pm Japan Standard Time (I think that’s 2pm ET).

The mission as amazing at it sounds is in my opinion raised to an even higher level of achievement by the way JAXA handled some unplanned glitches that could have ended it.  The JAXA site has an interactive time line of the mission from launch to return, be sure to check it out.