First Chinese mission to sample an asteroid starts its journey
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01672-1?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nature&linkId=14677106
First Chinese mission to sample an asteroid starts its journey
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01672-1?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nature&linkId=14677106
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China has sent a probe on an ambitious mission to grab rocks from a near-Earth asteroid and return them to Earth before making a final visit to a distant comet.
Tianwen-2 blasted off from Xichang launch centre in southern China at 1:31AM Beijing time today.
The spacecraft is now on its way to Kamo‘oalewa, an asteroid between 40 and 100 metres wide. The asteroid’s small size and fast spin — a full rotation takes only 28 minutes — will make gathering samples challenging.
This is genuinely exciting. Asteroid sampling missions always amaze me. Not just because of the science involved, but also because they feel like tangible steps toward the kind of future we’ve always imagined. It’s incredible seeing humanity reaching further into space, understanding our universe a bit better with each mission. Can’t wait to see what discoveries this mission will bring!