China launches Tianwen-2 asteroid and comet study mission
May 28 (UPI) -- China Wednesday launched its Tianwen-2 space mission to collect asteroid samples and conduct a main-belt comet study. A LongMarch 3B rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
The Long March 3B Y110 rocket lifted off toward the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa and is expected to take a year to reach the asteroid.
Asteroid samples are scheduled to return to Earth by 2027 as the mission heads for a rendezvous with the 311P/Pantstarrs comet around 2035.
"All Chinese planetary scientists are now finger-crossed for this historic mission," said University of Hong Kong lunar geologist Yuqi Qian in a statement.
The Chinese spacecraft will try to collect rocky matter from the asteroid, sending a capsule full of the space rocks back to Earth.
China would be the third nation after the United States and Japan to bring back asteroid samples if this mission succeeds.
Scientists will be able to carefully analyze the asteroid samples, identifying chemical and physical properties at detail not possible from remote observations alone.
The Kamo'oalewa asteroid is a quasi-satellite of Earth a few dozen meters across with very atypical orbital characteristics.
It may be piece of the moon put into orbit by some sort of large impact like a meteor.
Studying samples from Kamo'oalewa could yield critical information about the formation and evolution of the Earth-moon system.
The deep-space mission's onboard gear includes an ejecta analyzer, a radar instrument, and a magnetometer, which will be used to map the asteroid's and comet's microenvironment.
Those instruments can map magnetic fields, detect very small dust particles and also analyze subsurface compositions.
Tianwen-2 will orbit the 311P/Panstarrs comet in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in order to collect data that could help learn where Earth's water came from.
This is China's second planetary exploration mission. Tianwen-1 launched a Mars orbiter and rover in 2020.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
‘Keep on Buying,' Says Morgan Stanley About Tesla Stock
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock is back in focus as Elon Musk shifts gears, stepping away from political headlines and returning his attention to the company that made him a household name. Confident Investing Starts Here: The move was no doubt greeted enthusiastically by Tesla investors, who have grown frustrated with Musk's high-profile distractions since becoming Trump's 'first buddy.' But beyond the optics, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, a longtime Tesla bull, believes there's more at stake, pointing to broader strategic implications tied to Musk's renewed commitment. 'In our view,' Jonas noted, 'Tesla's expertise in manufacturing, data collection, robotics/ physical AI, energy, supply chain and infrastructure are more critical than ever before to put the US on an even footing with China in embodied AI.' Jonas points to China's rapid progress in humanoid robotics – what he calls the 'Humanoid Olympics.' After showcasing robots running a half marathon and competing in combat sports, China is now moving toward full-on humanoid games. 'China's gamification of robotic innovation is accelerating its path to AI supremacy,' says Jonas, who wonders if the US should fight back with a 'Humanoid Ninja Warrior.' The specter of Chinese EV maker BYD looms large too. The company announced significant price reductions across its entire lineup recently – ranging from 10% to nearly 30%. Notably, the price of its budget-friendly Seagull model was slashed to just RMB 55,800 (under $8,000). 'If you want evidence of the 'race to the bottom' in global EV prices, look no further,' says Jonas. The analyst also wonders if Musk might be having a change of heart regarding one possible business venture. For years, he has dismissed the idea of Tesla building eVTOLs or drones, pointing to concerns like noise, privacy issues, public nuisance, and inadequate battery energy density. However, during a recent all-hands meeting, when asked about the possibility of making a plane, Musk paused before replying that the company is currently 'stretched pretty thin.' 'In our opinion,' says Jonas, 'that's a decidedly different type of answer. Is Tesla an aviation/defense-tech company in auto/consumer clothing?' As for the upcoming Cybercab launch, slated for June 12, as with most highly anticipated Tesla events, Jonas thinks it's best to keep a lid on expectations. That said, he'll be watching closely for ongoing updates in the following days and weeks – particularly regarding network performance and growth metrics like vehicle count, mileage, and trip volume. All in all, Jonas remains on TSLA's side, assigning an Overweight (i.e., Buy) rating with a $410 price target, implying potential upside of 18% from current levels. (To watch Jonas's track record, click here) That's a bull's take, but not one the majority of Wall Street analysts share; TSLA stock only claims a Hold consensus rating, based on a mix of 16 Buys, 10 Holds and 11 Sells. Going by the $282.70 average price target, a year from now, shares will be changing hands for an 18% discount. (See TSLA stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
Business Insider
4 hours ago
- Business Insider
AstraZeneca, Daiichi announce results from three trials on DATROWAY
Results from three trials continue to demonstrate the potential of DATROWAY in combination with various immunotherapies to improve outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, across multiple stages of the disease. These results from TROPION-Lung02, TROPION-Lung04 and NeoCOAST-2 were presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. DATROWAY is a specifically engineered TROP2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate, ADC, discovered by Daiichi Sankyo and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (AZN). In 42 patients receiving first-line doublet DATROWAY plus pembrolizumab, an objective response rate of 54.8% was observed. In 54 patients receiving first-line triplet DATROWAY plus pembrolizumab and platinum chemotherapy, an ORR of 55.6% was observed. This analysis included patients enrolled during the dose escalation phase of the trial, where 4.8% and 40.7% of patients treated with the doublet and triplet regimens, respectively, received DATROWAY at a dose of 4 mg/kg versus 6 mg/kg. First results from cohort 5 of the TROPION-Lung04 phase 1b trial, presented during a poster session on Saturday, May 31, showed DATROWAY plus AstraZeneca's PD-1/TIGIT bispecific antibody rilvegostomig as a first-line treatment demonstrated an ORR of 57.5%, including one complete response and 22 partial responses in 40 patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC. A disease control rate of 95% was seen. Final results from Arm 4 of the NeoCOAST-2 phase 2 platform trial evaluating neoadjuvant DATROWAY plus AstraZeneca's anti-PD-L1 therapy IMFINZI and single-agent platinum chemotherapy were presented during a poster session on Saturday, May 31 and showed the combination demonstrated a pathologic complete response rate of 35.2%
Business Insider
4 hours ago
- Business Insider
Arvinas, Pfizer announce VERITAC-2 trial did not reach statistical significance
Arvinas (ARVN) and Pfizer (PFE) announced detailed results from the Phase 3 VERITAC-2 clinical trial evaluating vepdegestrant monotherapy versus fulvestrant in adults with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, MBC, whose disease progressed following prior treatment with cyclin-dependent kinase, CDK, 4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy. These data, which were highlighted in the American Society of Clinical Oncology press briefing and selected for Best of ASCO, will be presented today in a late-breaking oral presentation and have been simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, vepdegestrant demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival, PFS, among patients with an estrogen receptor 1, ESR1, mutation, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 43% compared to fulvestrant. The median PFS, as assessed by blinded independent central review, BICR, was 5.0 months with vepdegestrant versus 2.1 months with fulvestrant. Investigator-assessed PFS was consistent with the BICR-assessed PFS. In patients with ESR1 mutations, vepdegestrant demonstrated a consistent PFS benefit over fulvestrant across all pre-specified subgroups. The trial did not reach statistical significance in improvement in PFS in the intent-to-treat population, with a median PFS of 3.7 months for vepdegestrant versus 3.6 for fulvestrant.
