Russian expert: What is the difference between China's Tianwen-2 and Japan and the US in asteroid sampling!

Japan and the United States are like pirates plundering asteroids, while China's Tianwen-2 is a real space harvester.

On May 30th, Russian media published an article by an expert comparing China's Tianwen-2 with similar missions from Japan and the US.

Japan: Hayabusa - the space samurai who brought back asteroid samples.

America: OSIRIS-REx (OSIRIS-REx) - the space blockbuster of asteroid sampling.

Japan was the first country in the world to say, "Let's drive to an asteroid and bring back souvenirs!"

In 2003, they launched the Hayabusa probe (which means "falcon"), heading for Itokawa asteroid.

Hayabusa encountered a series of problems ranging from engine failure to landing issues. The probe had to gently touch the asteroid and collect dust, but it ultimately almost crashed. It did not launch a metal ball as planned to stir up dust, but rather grazed the surface.

In 2010, after landing in the Australian desert, the Hayabusa capsule returned to Earth. When scientists opened the container, they found... a total mass of about 5.4 grams! But even these fragments caused a sensation, as they were the first asteroid samples brought back to Earth by humans.

America: OSIRIS-REx and asteroid Bennu (2016 - 2023).

The Americans looked at the Japanese and said, "We also want to sample asteroids!"

In 2016, NASA launched OSIRIS-REx toward asteroid Bennu.

This mission was like a Hollywood blockbuster:

The probe orbited Bennu for two years, studying it from orbit and selecting a place to "map" the ground. In 2020, OSIRIS-REx performed the TAG operation, where its TAGSAM manipulator grazed the surface of the asteroid, raising a cloud of dust and rocks.

In September 2023, a capsule containing samples landed in the Utah desert. NASA opened the container and found about 250 grams of soil.

The Russian expert said that although China's Tianwen-2 probe, launched on May 29, 2025, followed in the footsteps of the pioneers from Japan and the US, China ambitiously surpassed them.

If Hayabusa and OSIRIS-REx were like pirates plundering asteroids, then Tianwen-2 is the real space harvester. He will not only dig soil from asteroid 2016HO3 (Earth's "quasi-satellite"), but also conduct unprecedented research on comet 311P with six tails.

What is different about China's approach?

Two-in-one: Tianwen-2 will not only take soil from the asteroid, but also head to the comet, making this mission unique. Japan and the US only focused on asteroids.

Technical challenge: China plans to return to Earth at a speed higher than the second space flight (about 11.2 km/s) for the first time in its history.

Scale: This mission will last 10 years, including complex maneuvers, three types of ground collection (hovering, touching, adhering), and a bunch of scientific tools.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833499361547340/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.