US EditionChina Launches Tianwen-2 to Sample Asteroid Kamo'oalewa
- On May 29, 2025, China deployed its Tianwen-2 spacecraft aboard a Long March 3B rocket, launching it into space to gather samples from an asteroid.
- The mission targets near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa for sample collection and will later study the main-belt comet 311P/Pan-STARRS, reflecting China's expanding planetary exploration efforts.
- Tianwen-2 carries instruments including a radar, magnetometer, and ejecta analyzer to map the asteroid's environment and aims to orbit Kamo'oalewa for about a year assessing landing sites.
- The asteroid measures roughly 46 to 58 meters, possibly being lunar debris, and a scientist said this mission offers a chance to study these objects in detail that will "revolutionize our understanding."
- After delivering samples to Earth by 2027, Tianwen-2 will continue to the comet until about 2035, and results may improve understanding of solar system formation and planetary defense.
121 Articles
121 Articles
Tianwen-2 mission launches China’s ambitious dual-use asteroid program
FPI / May 30, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher China’s first asteroid sample return mission on May 29, 2024, is set to begin a much larger program of asteroid exploration-exploitation to assist military-space ambitions. The program would also assist longer range Chinese ambitions to create outposts into the Solar System. On May 29, from the […]
China's Tianwen-2 Launches to Retrieve Samples from Mysterious Asteroid Kamo’oalewa
China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft launched on May 28 on a landmark asteroid sample return mission, aiming first to explore the near-Earth asteroid Kamo’oalewa before returning to Earth orbit and eventually heading back out to investigate Comet 311P. The mission lifted off at 1:31 AM local time from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Spanning ten years, it will seek to unlock secrets from two unusual celestial bodies in Earth’s planetary neighbo…
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