DHAKA: Japanese space scientists have unveiled the asteroid hunting space probe they hope to launch later this year on a mission to mine a celestial body.

The probe, named ‘Hayabusa-2’, is expected to be flung into space on a rocket for a mammoth four-year voyage to the unpoetically-named 1999JU3 asteroid.

When it gets there, some time in 2018, it will release a powerful cannon which will fire a metal bullet at the asteroid's barren crust, once the probe itself has scuttled to safety on the far side of the rock.

It will then return to scoop up material uncovered by the cannon blast, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1559 HRS, SEP 01, 2014