Latest news with #Tianwen-3
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
China goes to asteroid, launches Tianwen-2 spacecraft to collect samples
Live Events FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel China on Wednesday embarked on its first mission to retrieve samples from a nearby asteroid with the nighttime launch of its Tianwen-2 spacecraft, a robotic probe that could make the fast-growing space power the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid Long March 3B rocket lifted off around 1:31 a.m. (local time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center carrying the Tianwen-2 spacecraft, which over the next year will approach the small near-Earth asteroid named 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, as per a Reuters spacecraft also has a secondary target, an unusual comet that it could study as part of an extended these objects will help reveal more about the building blocks of the worlds of the inner solar system. And as asteroids can pose an impact risk to Earth, missions to study the structures and mineral makeups of these objects can aid planning to deflect or vaporize is more than just a scientific sleuth. It is also a technological steppingstone for China's ambitious Tianwen-3 mission. Due to launch in 2028, it aims to retrieve rock samples from Mars and return them to Earth. A comparable effort led by the United States to achieve the same goal is facing major hurdles.A1. Latest Chinese spacecraft is Tianwen-2.A2. China ambitious mission is Tianwen-3.
RTHK
21-05-2025
- Science
- 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)
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
China sets launch of asteroid probe Tianwen-2 for late May, state media reports
BEIJING: China is preparing to launch near-Earth asteroid probe Tianwen-2 at the end of May, state-run CCTV reported on Sunday, in the country's first mission to collect samples from interplanetary space. Tianwen-2 was transported to the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre's launch area on May 14 and will take off after passing inspections, the report said. The craft will use a mechanical arm to scoop up dust samples from the surface of 2016 HO3, a small 100-m (328-ft) asteroid that circles Earth like a 'quasi-satellite'. It will also explore 311P, a comet. Other nations including the U.S. and Japan have successfully landed on asteroids. A space race between China and the U.S. has led to the launch of new exploration plans in recent years. In 2024, China became the first nation to bring back samples from the moon's far side with its Chang'e-6 lunar probe. Around 2028, China's Tianwen-3 mission will attempt to bring back samples from Mars.
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
China to Launch Tianwen-2 Asteroid Mission in May
BEIJING: China is preparing to launch near-Earth asteroid probe Tianwen-2 at the end of May, state-run CCTV reported on Sunday, in the country's first mission to collect samples from interplanetary space. Tianwen-2 was transported to the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre's launch area on May 14 and will take off after passing inspections, the report said. The craft will use a mechanical arm to scoop up dust samples from the surface of 2016 HO3, a small 100-m (328-ft) asteroid that circles Earth like a 'quasi-satellite'. It will also explore 311P, a comet. Other nations including the U.S. and Japan have successfully landed on asteroids. A space race between China and the U.S. has led to the launch of new exploration plans in recent years. In 2024, China became the first nation to bring back samples from the moon's far side with its Chang'e-6 lunar probe. Around 2028, China's Tianwen-3 mission will attempt to bring back samples from Mars.
South China Morning Post
19-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Will the US hand space leadership to China by pulling Nasa out of Mars race?
White House moves to cancel Nasa's flagship Mars sample return programme amid sweeping budget cuts would leave China's Tianwen-3 mission – set to deliver around 600 grams (21 ounces) of Martian material to Earth by 2031 – alone in the race. Advertisement The White House recommended ending funding for the mission, already subject to major cost overruns and delays, in its 2026 budget proposal which is expected to be finalised by Congress and the White House in coming months. 'While the United States and China are battling on Earth for leadership in the global economy, the US is giving their leadership role in space to China,' said Yuqi Qian, a planetary geologist at the University of Hong Kong. Qian, who works with international collaborators to study the volcanological history of the moon and other rocky bodies in space, said the White House was introducing substantial uncertainties for the US and its allies. 'The reversal of the joint Mars sample return mission between Nasa and the European Space Agency is a prime example. The team has already made significant progress collecting samples via the Perseverance rover since 2021,' he said. Advertisement Nasa's international partners might be prompted by such a move to rethink their cooperation with the US, according to Qian. 'It would certainly weaken US leadership in space, especially as China is rolling out well-planned, ambitious programmes to return Martian samples and send humans to the moon.'
