Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to land on asteroid on Feb 22

A Japanese probe sent to examine an asteroid in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system is expected to land on the rock later this month, officials said Wednesday.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the Hayabusa2 probe is expected to touch down on the Ryugu asteroid at 8am local time on February 22.

"The landing point is decided and how we're going to land is confirmed, so we want to do our best to achieve this without making mistakes," JAXA project manager Yuichi Tsuda told reporters.

The announcement comes after the agency in October delayed the touchdown for several months, saying they needed more time to prepare the landing as the latest data showed the asteroid's surface was more rugged than expected.

Scientists are already receiving data from other probes deployed on the surface of the asteroid.

In October, JAXA successfully landed a new 10-kilogramme (22-pound) observation robot known as MASCOT -- "Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout."