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yesterday

China’s Tianwen-2 mission lifts off to sample near-Earth asteroid and explore main-belt comet

The probe will test three sampling techniques on a quasi-satellite before embarking on a decade-long voyage to a main-belt comet

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The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of 311P/Pan-STARRS on September 23, 2013.
China's Tianwen-2 probe is transported to its launch area, after completing its scheduled assembly, testing and fueling at the technical area of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 18, 2025. The probe is scheduled for launch at the end of May, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Sunday. It will subsequently conduct functional checks and joint tests. Previously, the Long March-3B Y110 rocket, which will carry out the Tianwen-2 launch mission, was transferred from the technical area to the launch area on May 14 and completed lifting and docking operations, said the CNSA. China Xichang Tianwen 2 Transport Launch Area - 18 May 2025
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Overview

  • Tianwen-2 launched May 28 on a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang into a transfer orbit targeting asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa
  • The spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with the 40–100 m quasi-satellite around mid-2026, spend about nine months surveying its surface and return samples by late 2027
  • Mission planners have designed three collection methods—hover sampling, touch-and-go with a robotic arm and anchored drilling—to secure material from the fast-rotating asteroid
  • Scientists aim to determine whether Kamoʻoalewa originated as lunar debris and to gain new insights into the formation and evolution of the Earth-Moon system
  • After delivering its asteroid payload, Tianwen-2 will use an Earth gravity assist to begin a seven-year journey for a flyby of comet 311P/PANSTARRS around 2035