On May 28, 2025, China successfully launched the Tianwen-2 mission, marking a significant advancement in its space exploration endeavors. The mission aims to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and explore the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, contributing to a deeper understanding of the solar system's formation and evolution.
The Tianwen-2 spacecraft was launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province. The mission is designed to retrieve samples from asteroid 2016HO3, a near-Earth object that shares a similar orbit with Earth, and to study comet 311P/PANSTARRS, an object located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These targets were selected for their potential to provide insights into the early solar system and the origins of water and organic materials on Earth.
After collecting samples from 2016HO3, the Tianwen-2 spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth, with the sample capsule expected to land in 2027. Following this, the mission will continue its journey to comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving in the mid-2030s to conduct detailed studies of the comet's composition and activity. This dual-phase mission underscores China's growing capabilities in deep-space exploration and its commitment to advancing scientific knowledge of the cosmos.
The Tianwen-2 mission is part of China's broader planetary exploration program, which includes previous successes such as the Chang'e lunar missions and the Tianwen-1 Mars mission. These efforts reflect China's strategic focus on enhancing its space exploration capabilities and contributing to the global scientific community's understanding of the universe.