HORIBA TECHNO SERVICE Co., Ltd.(Hereinafter HORIBA TECHNO SERVICE) will participate in a project for the initial analysis of samples, including sand and gravel, that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA's) asteroid explorer Hayabusa2 has collected from the asteroid Ryugu. Six international teams will perform the initial analysis of the samples from Ryugu. Belonging to the chemical analysis team, HORIBA TECHNO SERVICE will use the HORIBA's X-ray fluorescence analyzers*1 to perform non-destructive, non-contact analysis of elements contained in the samples.
Ryugu is believed to be an asteroid carrying information from the early stages of the formation of the Solar System and contains plenty of organic substances and water. Much is expected from the analysis of the samples collected from Ryugu to elucidate the origins and evolution of the Solar System and life.
Roles of the HORIBA
Because the samples used for the analysis are in minute quantities, HORIBA TECHNO SERVICE was chosen for the task due to its expertise in high-precision microanalysis. The chemical analysis team will commence the analysis in June 2021 at Analytical Solution Plaza, HORIBA TECHNO SERVICE's state-of-the-art analysis laboratories in Kyoto City that will open next spring.
A comment from Atsushi Horiba, Chairman & Group CEO
"It is a great honor for us to know that the HORIBA will play a part in primitive body*2 exploration. Possessing analytical and measurement technologies essential for the creation of innovations, HORIBA takes on the mission to elucidate the mysteries of the universe through its business, thus contributing to the development of science and technology and the protection of the global environment. The HORIBA will use its collective strength to work on this project to mark a new chapter in the history of humankind."
X-ray fluorescence analyzers
Perform non-destructive, non-contact elemental analysis of samples. Used for R&D in broad fields, from articles in our everyday life, such as semiconductors, foods, and pharmaceutical products, to meteorites, paintings, and artifacts.
Product details: https://www.horiba.com/en_en/products/detail/action/show/Product/xgt-9000-1909/
*1 When X-rays are irradiated onto a substance, X-rays (fluorescence X-rays) are generated in its elements. By capturing fluorescence X-rays, the types and quantities of elements contained in the substance can be assessed.
*2 An astral body whose constituent substances are believed to have been minimally altered from their state when the Solar System was born. As such, it is considered important when studying how the Solar System was then and has evolved subsequently.
