Japanese craft collected dust from the asteroid Ryugu that scientists hope could shed light on the origins of life

The last time Hayabusa2 was seen with the naked eye, Barack Obama was president of the United States and Brexit was a distant Europhobe fantasy.

Six years and three days after its groundbreaking mission began, the Japanese spacecraft will drop a capsule onto the Australian outback carrying pristine asteroid fragments that scientists believe could shed light on the formation of the solar system and the origins of life.

Related: Rock of ages: how asteroid dust may reveal secrets of life on Earth