China has successfully launched its ambitious asteroid sample return mission, Tianwen 2, which aims to retrieve a sample from the small asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa. The mission was launched on a three-stage Long March 3B rocket from Xichang Space Center in Sichuan province on Thursday morning.
Tianwen 2 is China’s first planetary exploration mission of 2025 and marks an important step in the country’s efforts to explore space. The mission will not only circle the asteroid but also land on it and collect a sample, which will provide valuable insights into the origin and composition of Kamoʻoalewa.
The asteroid, named after the Hawaiian word for “oscillating fragment,” is believed to be either a lunar ejecta or a main-belt asteroid that has migrated into a semi-captured orbit near Earth. The mission’s findings will shed light on near-Earth objects and fast-rotating asteroids.
Tianwen 2 has a second target, Comet 311P/PanSTARRS, which it is expected to visit in 2035. The spacecraft will fly by Earth to return the sample capsule on November 29, 2027, before departing for its rendezvous with Comet 311P.
The mission includes three types of sampling opportunities: hovering and sampling, touch-and-go (TAG) type sampling maneuver, and anchored approach using drills on the lander legs. The Tianwen 2 team aims to return at least 100 grams of material from the asteroid.
China’s space agency has also announced plans for future missions, including a Mars sample return in 2028 and a possible Uranus flyby mission in 2030.
Source: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/china-launches-tianwen-2-asteroid-sample-return-mission