China launches space mission to retrieve asteroid samples with its Tianwen-2 spacecraft. The launch took place at 1:31 a.m. from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, marking a major milestone. This makes China the third country to attempt returning asteroid rocks after Japan and the United States.

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The mission showcases China’s growing ambition in space. It follows recent achievements like landing robots on the moon’s far side and operating a national space station. China is also planning to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.

UNIQUE GOALS OF CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST SPACE MISSION TO RETRIEVE ASTEROID SAMPLES

Tianwen-2 is now en route to asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, which lies between 9 million and 24 million miles from Earth. The robotic probe is expected to reach the asteroid in July 2026. It will return a capsule of rock samples to Earth by November 2027.

Unlike typical lunar missions, this one poses more challenges. The asteroid’s low gravity makes landing and sampling difficult. Still, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is confident in its success. After the sample return, Tianwen-2 will continue to main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS.

WHY CHINA LAUNCHES SPACE MISSION TO RETRIEVE ASTEROID SAMPLES IS HISTORIC

This journey is historic because it aims to explore two objects in deep space. The comet 311P, found between Mars and Jupiter, lacks the icy surface most comets have. Studying such features can reveal more about solar system origins.

CNSA has shared that the probe will investigate surface material from both bodies. These studies could help explain space evolution. Returning clean asteroid samples can also improve our knowledge of early planetary formation.

A MAJOR LEAP FOR CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST SPACE MISSION TO RETRIEVE ASTEROID SAMPLES

Before China, only Japan and the U.S. had completed asteroid sample return missions. Japan’s Hayabusa missions collected samples in 2010 and 2019. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx returned samples from asteroid Bennu in 2020.

Kamoʻoalewa is a “quasi-satellite” of Earth. It has orbited the sun near Earth for about 100 years. Its size ranges from 120 to 300 feet, NASA says.

LOOKING AHEAD AFTER CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST SPACE MISSION TO RETRIEVE ASTEROID SAMPLES

Tianwen-2 follows Tianwen-1, which reached Mars in 2021 and landed on Utopia Planitia. China is already planning Tianwen-3, aiming to retrieve Martian samples by 2028. Last month, CNSA also invited international researchers to join the mission.

With missions like Tianwen-2, China is pushing boundaries. It aims to become a space superpower within this decade. Global scientists are watching closely as Tianwen-2 leads the way in asteroid exploration.

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