Tianwen-2
Tianwen-2 () is a Chinese asteroid sample return and comet exploration mission that launched on 28 May 2025. The China National Space Agency (CNSA) plans for the probe to return samples from 469219 Kamoʻoalewa—a near-Earth asteroid that is currently a quasi-satellite of Earth—in 2027. After the mothership drops off the sample return vessel to Earth, it is planned to rendezvous with the main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS and explore it with its 11 onboard instruments.
Key facts
- Spaceflight.name
- Tianwen-2天问二号
- Spaceflight.image
- 天问二号发射难度犹如“北京投篮上海进筐”？1.png
- Spaceflight.mission_type
- Asteroid sample returnComet orbiter/lander
- Spaceflight.operator
- CNSA
- Spaceflight.mission_duration
- 10 years (planned) (elapsed)
- Spaceflight.manufacturer
- CAST
- Spaceflight.launch_mass
- ≈
- Spaceflight.launch_date
- 28 May 2025, 17:31 UTC
- Spaceflight.launch_rocket
- Long March 3B
- Spaceflight.launch_site
- Xichang LC-2
- Spaceflight.launch_contractor
- CASC
- Spaceflight.programme
- '''Tianwen program'''
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Overview
- History
- Instruments
- Scientific payload
- Mission timeline
- References
- External links
Tianwen-2 () is a Chinese asteroid sample return and comet exploration mission that launched on 28 May 2025. The China National Space Agency (CNSA) plans for the probe to return samples from 469219 Kamoʻoalewa—a near-Earth asteroid that is currently a quasi-satellite of Earth—in 2027. After the mothership drops off the sample return vessel to Earth, it is planned to rendezvous with the main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS and explore it with its 11 onboard instruments.
== Overview == CNSA launched the Tianwen-2 probe using a Long March 3B carrier rocket on 28 May 2025 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China. The probe uses solar electric propulsion for maneuvering between its many objectives. It is planned to explore the co-orbital near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and the main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS. The spacecraft will rendezvous with Kamoʻoalewa and conduct remote sensing observations in orbit, before landing on the asteroid to collect a sample of of regolith. Tianwen-2 would carry out investigations at progressively lower altitudes from 20 kilometers, 3 km, 600 meters and down to 300 m from the asteroid’s surface. Explosives will be used to expose potential subsurface volatiles for detection.