The new date follows a previous delay that saw the landing pushed from October to January as JAXA struggled to find a smooth spot to touchdown due to the ruggedness of the asteroid's surface. "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," said JAXA project manager Yuichi Tsuda (per Phys.org).

Dotted between Earth and Mars, Ryugu's chemical composition is comprised of nickel, iron, cobalt, water, nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia -- making it a prime target for scientists seeking to unlock the mysteries of the universe. Barring any more setbacks, Hayabusa 2 has until December to scoop up samples to bring back to Earth. Its ETA is December 2020.