Tag

Asteroid Sampling

All articles tagged with #asteroid sampling

science7 months ago

China's Tianwen-2 Probe Captures First Images of 'Quasi Moon' Asteroid

China's secretive Tianwen 2 spacecraft has been photographed for the first time, revealing its design and current position 2 million miles from Earth. Launched in May, it aims to collect samples from the quasi-moon Kamo'oalewa in 2026 and later visit a comet-asteroid hybrid, with its appearance resembling NASA's Lucy spacecraft. The mission's success could enhance understanding of Earth's co-orbitals and contribute to planetary science.

science7 months ago

China's Tianwen-2 Mission Launches to Collect Near-Earth Asteroid Samples

China launched the Tianwen-2 mission to study two unique objects in our solar system: an asteroid called Kamoʻoalewa, potentially a lunar fragment, and a main belt comet 311P/Pan-STARRS, both of which have never been visited by spacecraft before. The mission aims to collect asteroid samples and conduct a flyby of the comet, promising new insights into these mysterious celestial bodies and their origins.