Topline
China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft has arrived at one of the strangest objects in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood — a tiny asteroid often called a “mini moon.” The probe reached 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, also known as 2016 HO3, on July 4 after just over 13 months of interplanetary travel. The arrival marks the beginning of the mission’s most important phase as scientists prepare to investigate the asteroid up close and eventually collect samples for return to Earth.
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What Tianwen-2 Will Do
Tianwen-2 will now begin exploring one of the smallest and most intriguing worlds ever visited. The spacecraft will now map the asteroid, searching for a safe place to collect a sample. Tianwen-2 carries both a touch-and-go sampling system and an anchor-and-attach mechanism equipped with drills for collecting surface material. Scientists hope to return at least 100 grams of samples to Earth. It will depart Kamoʻoalewa in April 2027 before releasing a return capsule that could land on Earth in November 2027. Following the 2027 sample delivery, Tianwen-2 will use a gravity-assist maneuver to slingshot to comet 311P/PANSTARRS. It is expected to arrive at the comet in January 2035.
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China’s ‘heavenly Questions’ Space Program
Tianwen, which translates to “Heavenly Questions,” is the name for China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) deep space and planetary exploration missions. Tianwen-1 is a Mars orbiter, lander and rover mission that successfully touched down on the red planet on May 15, 2021, releasing its Zhurong rover. It made China the second nation in history to successfully land and operate a spacecraft on Mars. Tianwen-3, scheduled for 2028, will attempt to be the first mission ever to collect samples from Mars and deliver them to Earth, likely in 2031. Tianwen-4 is scheduled for launch in 2030 to send two spacecraft on operational missions to Jupiter (where it will orbit the moon Callisto) and Uranus (a flyby mission).
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Further Reading
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