China launches probe to retrieve asteroid samples
China launches probe to retrieve asteroid samples
The Tianwen-2 probe has the task of collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3. Image: CNSA
China on Thursday launched a space probe on the nation's first mission to retrieve samples from an asteroid and bring them home for research, the Xinhua state news agency reported.
A Long March-3B rocket carrying the Tianwen-2 probe blasted off from the Xichang launch site in southwestern Sichuan province at 1.31 am.
About 18 minutes later, the probe was sent into a transfer orbit the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
"Shan Zhongde, head of the China National Space Administration, stated that the Tianwen-2 mission represents a significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration," the news agency reported.
Discovered by scientists in Hawaii in 2016, the asteroid is roughly 40 to 100 metres in diameter.
It is a "living fossil" consisting of ancient materials that can help scientists understand how the early solar system formed, Xinhua reported earlier.
The comet, meanwhile, orbits between Mars and Jupiter and is alluring to researchers because it exhibits some features more commonly associated with asteroids. (Xinhua, AFP)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
28-05-2025
- RTHK
China launches probe to retrieve asteroid samples
China launches probe to retrieve asteroid samples The Tianwen-2 probe has the task of collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3. Image: CNSA China on Thursday launched a space probe on the nation's first mission to retrieve samples from an asteroid and bring them home for research, the Xinhua state news agency reported. A Long March-3B rocket carrying the Tianwen-2 probe blasted off from the Xichang launch site in southwestern Sichuan province at 1.31 am. About 18 minutes later, the probe was sent into a transfer orbit the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). "Shan Zhongde, head of the China National Space Administration, stated that the Tianwen-2 mission represents a significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration," the news agency reported. Discovered by scientists in Hawaii in 2016, the asteroid is roughly 40 to 100 metres in diameter. It is a "living fossil" consisting of ancient materials that can help scientists understand how the early solar system formed, Xinhua reported earlier. The comet, meanwhile, orbits between Mars and Jupiter and is alluring to researchers because it exhibits some features more commonly associated with asteroids. (Xinhua, AFP)
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
China's Tianwen-2 lifts off on mission to bring asteroid samples back to Earth
China has launched an ambitious mission to bring asteroid samples back to Earth – part of broader efforts to explore the solar system and make advances in planetary science, resource utilisation and defence. Advertisement The Tianwen-2 spacecraft lifted off aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China at 1.31am Beijing time on Thursday, according to the China National Space Administration. 'About 18 minutes after lift-off, the rocket placed the spacecraft into a transfer orbit from Earth to asteroid 2016 HO3. The spacecraft's solar panels deployed successfully, marking the complete success of the launch mission,' the agency said on its website. The spacecraft's first planned visit is asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa (2016 HO3) – a small, fast-spinning quasi-satellite of Earth which scientists believe may be a fragment of the moon. Tianwen-2 is expected to collect samples from its surface and return them to Earth in late 2027 via a re-entry capsule. After that, the main spacecraft will use the Earth's gravity for a slingshot manoeuvre and begin a seven-year journey to comet 311P/PANSTARRS – an object in the solar system's asteroid belt, known for shedding dust in multiple tails. Tianwen-2 will investigate the comet's orbit, shape, rotation, surface composition and dust activity. Advertisement If successful, the mission will make China the third country – after Japan and the United States – to return samples from an asteroid.
RTHK
21-05-2025
- RTHK
Beijing seeking Mars sample return proposals from SARs
Beijing seeking Mars sample return proposals from SARs A model of Tianwen-1's Mars rover is on display at the InnoTech Expo in 2022 in Hong Kong. File photo: NurPhoto/AFP China is seeking payload proposals for its Mars sample return mission and inviting overseas researchers to participate. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has called on overseas research institutions, including those in Hong Kong and Macau, to submit proposals for developing payloads for the Tianwen-3 mission. The mission, a significant part of China's planetary exploration programme, is scheduled for launch around 2028. The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module and is equipped with six scientific payloads. The six payloads, namely, the Raman fluorescence spectrometer, ultra-wideband exploration radar, mid-infrared superfine imaging spectrometer, Mars global multicolour camera, descent ENA aurora detector and high-precision vector magnetometer, are all open to overseas researchers, according to a notice released by the CNSA. The CNSA requires that all payload projects be led by a domestic institution, with no more than five entities involved in the joint development of a single payload. Last month, the administration announced that it would offer payload resources for international cooperation, with up to 15 kilogrammes available on the orbiter and five kilogrammes on the service module. The primary scientific objective of the mission is to search for signs of life on Mars. Other areas of exploration include the Martian climate and its evolution, the planet's geology and its internal processes. (Xinhua)
