TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese spacecraft has dropped a German-French observation device to land on an asteroid as part of a research effort intended to find clues to the origin of the solar system.

The Japan Space Exploration Agency said Wednesday that the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, lander was released from the unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa2 and headed to the asteroid Ryugu.

The spacecraft went as close as 50 meters (160 feet) to the asteroid's surface to release the box-shaped lander. Hayabusa2 has been stationed near the asteroid since June after traveling 280 million kilometers (170 million miles) from Earth.

The lander's deployment follows the successful landing last month of two MINERVA-II1 jumping observation rovers.

The battery-run MASCOT can operate 16 hours to collect and transmit data, including temperature and mineral varieties.