China's Tianwen 2 Sends Stunning Images Of Earth And Moon From Deep Space: See Pics
See images here:
33 days following launch, #Tianwen2 is passing 12 million km distance from Earth. CNSA released photos of the Earth and Moon taken by ANAC (窄视场导航敏感器 / Asteroid Narrow Angle Camera) when the spacecraft was 590K km from each body. https://t.co/hJnaVjpfN5 pic.twitter.com/Qwx0ODiGQg
— WLR2678🌌 (@WLR_2678) July 1, 2025
Currently, the probe is reportedly around 12 million kilometres away from Earth. It has spent more than 33 days in space so far. The mission aims to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 (or 469219 Kamo'oalewa) and explore the main-belt comet 311P, which would help provide insights into the early solar system's formation and evolution.
As per the report, the space agency published the stunning pictures, taken by the spacecraft's narrow-field-of-view navigation sensor, when it was about 590,000 kilometres away from the Blue Planet.
What is the future of the Tianwen 2 mission?
The mission is expected to return samples to Earth by November 2027, with the probe collecting between 0.2 and 1 kilogram of soil from the asteroid.
The Tianwen-2 mission is planned to last around 10 years. During the given period, the probe would visit the asteroid and comet, and return samples to Earth.
The mission will help scientists understand the composition, formation, and evolutionary history of the solar system's early materials. If successful, the probe would also provide insights into the origins of water on Earth.
China has several important missions planned for the coming years. Beijing plans to send Chinese astronauts to the Moon before 2030 and establish a permanent base there, as part of its ambitious "space dream" under Xi Jinping's leadership.
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