After a Billion Kilometres, China's Asteroid Hunter Arrives
9 hours ago
- #China Space Program
- #Asteroid Mission
- #Space Exploration
- China's Tianwen-2 mission successfully rendezvoused with near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa after a 400-day chase covering ~1 billion km.
- The spacecraft launched in May 2025, performed trajectory adjustments, and closed to within ~20 km, beginning scientific exploration.
- Ground observations initially had ~100 km positional uncertainty; Tianwen-2 used onboard imaging to refine this to ~1 km accuracy.
- The mission will study the asteroid's surface, composition, and subsurface, aiming to collect and return a sample to Earth.
- Kamoʻoalewa is a quasi-satellite of Earth, possibly a lunar fragment, highlighting its scientific interest.