AKIPRESS.COM - Japan's space agency successfully launched the Hayabusa2 probe Wednesday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan on a mission to travel to an asteroid 300 million kilometers from Earth to collect rock samples.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency probe was launched on an H-2A rocket on course for the 900-meter wide asteroid 1999 JU3.

The probe is expected to reach the asteroid in 2018 and return to Earth in late 2020, according to the Kyodo News.

After the launch at 1:22 p.m., Hayabusa2 settled into an orbit similar to the Earth's orbit around the sun just after 3 p.m., JAXA said.

The probe will orbit the sun once, swinging by the Earth late next year, before setting off for the asteroid, revolving around the sun twice on its way there.