Latest news with #Tianwen-2
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
China has launched a space probe that will travel to an asteroid near Mars to collect samples and find potential "groundbreaking" results. The Tianwen-2 probe launched Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The target of the Tianwen-2 will be different from its predecessor, the Tianwen-1, which launched a year ago and landed on Mars. Tianwen-2 will be aiming for the asteroid 2016 HO3, which is also known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, to bring back samples. China's Secret Weapon In The Space Race Is Already Hurting Us The proposed 10-year plan would involve more than just this space mission as China continues to look to expand into space. Read On The Fox News App Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1, told China Central Television he plans to implement the "Tianwen-3" Mars sampling return mission in 2028, while the "Tianwen-4" will head toward Jupiter. According to The Associated Press, the asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, will hopefully offer clues about the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. Us Prepares To Deorbit International Space Station Amid China Competition Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. Even if the CNSA is going to distribute these samples to international partners like they have on previous missions, NASA wouldn't be able to receive any samples. A law passed in 2011, known as the Wolf Amendment, restricts NASA from having any cooperation with the CNSA. China also operates the three-person Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," space station. This gives China a step in the right direction to become a major force in the exploration of space. Its permanent station was created after being excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. The Associated Press contributed to this storyOriginal article source: China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
Euronews
16 hours 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
20 hours 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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
China launches Tianwen-2 to chase Moon-origin asteroid, explore hybrid comet
China has launched its most ambitious deep space mission yet. On Wednesday, the Tianwen-2 probe lifted off atop a Long March 3B rocket at 1:31 pm Eastern (17:31 UTC) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province. The mission aims to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and later survey a comet in the main asteroid belt, marking the country's first asteroid sampling effort. Tianwen-2 is now en route to asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3), a small rocky body orbiting close to Earth. The probe is expected to reach the asteroid in mid-2026 and return samples to Earth in 2027. After the sample return, it will continue its journey toward comet 311P/PANSTARRS, with arrival expected around 2035. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the successful launch just over an hour after liftoff. Xinhua reported that 'the spacecraft unfolded its solar panels smoothly,' and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) officially declared the mission a success. Discovered in 2016 by researchers in Hawaii, Kamoʻoalewa is believed to be a fragment of the Moon. Scientists hope to analyze its structure, mineral content, and origin. It is roughly 40 to 100 meters in diameter. Depending on surface conditions, the mission will employ three sampling methods — hover sampling, touch-and-go, and anchored drilling. Tianwen-2 will then use Earth's gravity to redirect itself toward comet 311P. The comet orbits between Mars and Jupiter and displays asteroid-like behavior, making it ideal for studying transitional objects in the solar system. Reaching and sampling small celestial bodies is more challenging than orbiting planets. The mission must navigate weak and irregular gravity fields, which rule out traditional orbiting methods. 'These bodies have extremely weak and irregular gravity fields,' Franco Perez-Lissi, Ramses mission systems engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA), told SpaceNews. 'So we cannot rely on traditional orbiting like we do around the planet.' Tianwen-2 must closely match the asteroid's rotation and speed for successful sampling. Perez-Lissi likened the maneuver to 'trying to dock a boat with a mountain floating in space and tumbling really unpredictably and with almost no gravity.' The probe carries 11 science payloads, including spectrometers, high-resolution cameras, a radar sounder, and particle detectors. These will study the composition, geological features, magnetic fields, and solar wind interactions at both the asteroid and the comet. Past missions like NASA's OSIRIS-REx and JAXA's Hayabusa2 have returned organic materials, including amino acids and nucleobases—key building blocks of life. Tianwen-2 follows the successful Tianwen-1 Mars mission and precedes plans for Mars sample return and Jupiter system exploration. These missions are part of a long-term roadmap that includes the International Lunar Research Station and a Venus sample return. According to Xinhua, Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, 'expressed his expectation of yielding groundbreaking discoveries and expanding humanity's knowledge of the cosmos.' China continues to invest heavily in space, with its Tiangong space station now operational and a crewed Moon mission planned for later this decade. Tianwen-2 could mark another leap forward in China's 'space dream,' as articulated by President Xi Jinping.
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.
