China’s National Space Administration has finally shared its first image of the asteroid-hunting spacecraft Tianwen-2. The photo reveals one of the two round solar panels deployed in space, along with a glimpse of the main body. This comes after seven years of secrecy surrounding the project.
Tianwen-2 is now hurtling through space, having surpassed 3 million kilometers from Earth as of June 6. According to CNSA’s latest update, the spacecraft was operating as expected. The mission aims to collect physical samples from asteroid Kamo’oalewa, which was discovered centuries ago and has a unique composition.
Kamo’oalewa is a quirky asteroid that rotates every 28 minutes – faster than most small asteroids. It’s thought to be made of “lunar-like” silicate material, which may hold clues about its origins. Tianwen-2 will attempt to collect these samples by July 2026 and then head to the main belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS.
Source: https://www.extremetech.com/science/see-the-first-image-from-chinas-tianwen-2-asteroid-mission