Latest news with #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration
Euronews
a day ago
- Science
- Euronews
China spacecraft aims to return with 'groundbreaking' asteroid samples
China launched a spacecraft that promises to return samples from an asteroid near Mars and yield "groundbreaking discoveries and expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos," the country's space agency said. The Tianwen-2 probe launched early on Thursday from southern China aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket. The probe will collect samples from the asteroid 2016HO3 and explore the main-belt comet 311P, which lies even farther from Earth than Mars, according to the China National Space Administration. Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, was quoted as saying the Tianwen-2 mission represents a "significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration" and over its decade-long mission will "yield groundbreaking discoveries and expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos". Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. The asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, hopefully will offer clues into the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. China earlier returned rock samples from the moon's far side back to Earth in a historic mission and has welcomed international cooperation. However, any cooperation with the US hinges on removing an American law banning direct bilateral cooperation with NASA. The near side of the Moon is seen from Earth, and the far side faces outer space. The far side is also known to have mountains and impact craters, and is much more difficult to reach. China also operates the three person-crewed Tiangong - or "Heavenly Palace" - space station, making the country a major player in a new era of space exploration and the use of permanent stations to conduct experiments in space, especially since the station was entirely Chinese-built after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over US national security concerns. China's space programme is controlled by the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. The country's space programme has grown rapidly in the more than 20 years since it first put a man in space, only the third country to do so under its own speed. The space agency has landed an unmanned explorer on Mars and a rover on the far side of the Moon. It aims to put a person on the moon before 2030. A future Tianwen-4 Jupiter mission will explore Jupiter, although details haven't been released.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
China launches spacecraft to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
China has launched its Tianwen-2 mission, dispatching a spacecraft to gather samples from an asteroid near to Mars. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) anticipates that this mission will "yield groundbreaking discoveries and expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos." Launched on Thursday from southern China via the Long March 3-B rocket, the Tianwen-2 probe is set to collect samples from the asteroid 2016HO3. Additionally, it will explore the main-belt comet 311P, situated beyond Mars. Shan Zhongde, the head of the CNSA, hailed the Tianwen-2 mission as a "significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration." This ambitious decade-long mission is poised to offer valuable insights into the universe. The samples from asteroid 2016HO3 are expected to be returned in approximately two years. These asteroids, selected for their stable orbits, may offer clues about Earth's formation, including the origins of water. China earlier returned rock samples from the moon's far side back to Earth in a historic mission and has welcomed international cooperation. However, any cooperation with the U.S. hinges on removing an American law banning direct bilateral cooperation with NASA. The near side of the moon is seen from Earth and the far side faces outer space. The far side also is known to have mountains and impact craters and is much more difficult to reach. China also operates the three person-crewed Tiangong, or 'Heavenly Palace,' space station, making the country a major player in a new era of space exploration and the use of permanent stations to conduct experiments in space, especially since the station was entirely Chinese-built after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. China's space program is controlled by the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. The country's space program has grown rapidly in the more than 20 years since it first put a man in space, only the third country to do so under its own speed. The space agency has landed an unmanned explorer on Mars and a rover on the far side of the moon. It aims to put a person on the moon before 2030. A future Tianwen-4 Jupiter mission will explore Jupiter, although details haven't been released.
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
China Launches First Mission To Retrieve Asteroid Samples For Research
China on Thursday launched a space probe on the country's first mission to retrieve samples from an asteroid and bring them home for research, the Xinhua state news agency reported. Beijing has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years in an effort to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the country's "space dream". It has built a space station orbiting the Earth and plans to run a crewed mission to the Moon this decade ahead of establishing a permanent base there. A Long March-3B rocket carrying the Tianwen-2 probe blasted off from the Xichang launch site in southwestern Sichuan province "in the early hours of Thursday," Xinhua said. "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. Tianwen-2 is tasked with collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, and exploring the comet 311P, according to the country's space agency. Discovered by scientists in Hawaii in 2016, the asteroid is roughly 40 to 100 metres (130-330 feet) in diameter and orbits relatively close to Earth. It is a "living fossil" consisting of ancient materials that can help scientists understand how the early solar system formed, Xinhua reported this week. The comet, meanwhile, orbits between Mars and Jupiter and is alluring to researchers because it exhibits some features more commonly associated with asteroids. The Tianwen-2 mission is expected to last around a decade. China's space programme is the third to put humans in orbit -- after the United States and the Soviet Union -- and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon. Its space station, Tiangong -- whose name means "celestial palace" in Chinese -- is the jewel in its crown. Last month, China sent three astronauts to Tiangong for a six-month stint as part of the Shenzhou-20 mission.
The Star
a day ago
- Science
- The Star
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. 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.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Science
- Qatar Tribune
China mission to retrieve asteroid samples
Beijing: China launched its first mission to collect rock samples from a near-Earth asteroid early Thursday, aiming to deepen understanding of the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system. The unmanned Tianwen-2 spacecraft successfully took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in south-west China, according to state news agency Xinhua, citing the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The probe will travel for about one year to reach asteroid 2016 HO3, also called Kamo'oalewa. Upon arrival, it will orbit the asteroid to gain knowledge of the sampling area before collecting material from its surface. The samples are expected to be returned to Earth in a capsule by the end of 2027. (DPA)
