China's Tianwen-2 probe successfully reached the near-Earth asteroid Kamōʻālawa

China's Tianwen-2 probe reaches target asteroid

After more than a year of flight and a journey of one billion kilometers, China's Tianwen-2 probe has arrived at its target asteroid. From the Moon to Mars and now to asteroids, China's space exploration ambitions are gradually expanding.

The China National Space Administration announced on Monday (July 6) that the Tianwen-2 probe, after approximately 400 days of flight, has successfully reached its destination — the near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa.

Tianwen-2 was launched in May 2025, marking a crucial milestone in China's efforts to catch up with Europe and the United States in deep-space exploration, and representing China's first attempt to collect samples from an asteroid.

Scientists believe that samples collected from asteroids — rocky bodies orbiting the Sun — may provide valuable clues to understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system.

The China National Space Administration stated that Tianwen-2 has successfully arrived within 20 kilometers of the asteroid designated 2016 HO3; this asteroid has a diameter of only tens of meters.

Discovered in Hawaii in 2016, this asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance similar to Earth’s and follows a nearly synchronized orbit with Earth, earning it the nickname "quasi-satellite" of Earth.

The China National Space Administration said the probe will conduct comprehensive scanning and analysis of the asteroid’s topography, internal structure, and composition, providing critical decision-making support for the subsequent sample collection phase.

A Decade-Long Mission

After completing sample collection, Tianwen-2 will release a return capsule designed to bring the samples back to Earth. The return capsule is expected to reach Earth by the end of 2027. The main probe is then expected to continue onward toward a comet within the asteroid belt, advancing a mission planned to last about ten years.

Previously, Japan and the United States have separately collected samples from different asteroids.

In recent years, China has invested tens of billions of dollars in space projects, aiming to catch up with major space powers such as the United States and the European Union, which have recently been actively pushing forward space exploration missions beyond the Moon.

The asteroid exploration mission is part of China’s ambitious plan for outer space exploration. In 2021, China successfully landed the Zhurong rover on the Martian surface via the Tianwen-1 mission; additionally, the Tianwen-3 mission, scheduled for 2028, aims to carry out a Mars sample return mission.

Source: DW

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870046147146762/

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