Image: CNSA / Xinhua
Tianwen-2
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2025-05-29 |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle | Long March 3B |
| Spacecraft | Tianwen-2 probe (sample return + comet rendezvous) |
| Target | Asteroid |
| Type | Robotic |
| Duration | ~10-year dual-target mission |
| Partners | CNSA, CAST, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
Overview
Tianwen-2 is China's first asteroid sample-return mission, launched on 29 May 2025 on a Long March 3B from Xichang. Its primary target is 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, a tiny quasi-satellite of Earth that some researchers suspect is a fragment of the Moon blasted free by an ancient impact. The spacecraft reaches Kamoʻoalewa in mid-2026 for proximity operations, where it will attempt both touch-and-go and anchor-and-attach sampling techniques before returning a capsule to Earth in 2027. The mission then continues on an extended cruise to main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, with rendezvous planned around 2035 — making Tianwen-2 a rare two-target small-body mission in the mold of Hayabusa2's extended campaign, and a key stepping stone toward China's Tianwen-3 Mars sample return.
Key Milestones
2025-05-29
Launch on Long March 3B from Xichang
2026-06
Kamoʻoalewa rendezvous and proximity operations begin
2027
Sample capsule returns to Earth (planned)
2035
Comet 311P/PANSTARRS rendezvous (planned)
