The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has published a selfie taken by the Tianwen-2 mission. It shows the spacecraft with Earth in the background.
The Tianwen-2 spacecraft was launched on May 29, 2025. Its main target is a quasi-moon of Earth called Kamoʻoalewa. It is in a 1:1 orbital resonance with our planet, which allows it to remain close to it for many orbital periods. The diameter of the object is estimated at 30–100 meters.
Many researchers suggest that Kamoʻoalewa. is actually a fragment knocked off the surface of the Moon after a powerful collision. The main “suspect” is the Bruno crater on the far side of the Moon. By astronomical standards, it formed quite recently and is large enough for the debris ejected during its formation to gain sufficient energy to become a quasi-moon of Earth.
The Tianwen-2 flight plan envisages that the spacecraft will reach Kamoʻoalewa. in July 2026, after which it will begin a comprehensive study of it. The mission will culminate in landing on the asteroid’s surface and taking a sample of its soil. In April 2027, Tianwen-2 will leave Kamoʻoalewa. and begin its return journey to Earth. In November 2027, it will drop off the capsule containing the samples it has collected.
The mission of the vehicle will not end there. After flying past Earth, Tianwen-2 will head to the asteroid belt to another interesting object — the active asteroid 311P/PanSTARRS, which has developed comet-like tails several times. Astronomers suggest that it may be a degenerate comet that has lost almost all of its volatile substances. The Chinese spacecraft will reach 311P/PanSTARRS in 2035.
You can also read about China’s plans to build a space conveyor belt.
