China Aims for First Asteroid Sample Return from Earth's Quasi-Moon
TL;DR Summary
China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft aims to rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa, collect a small sample (20–100 mg) and return it to Earth by April 2027, potentially making it China’s first asteroid sample return; Kamo'oalewa is a quasi-satellite that may be Moon-origin rock, offering clues to the Moon’s early history, with the mission also planning a flyby of main-belt asteroid 311P/PANSTARRS in 2035.
- China Prepares Its First Asteroid Landing on Earth’s Quasi-Moon Gizmodo
- China’s Tianwen-2 mission has (probably) arrived at a quasi-moon of Earth The Planetary Society
- China Is About To Land On Earth’s ‘Mini-Moon’ — What To Know Forbes
- How Asteroid Sample Return Went From a Long Shot to a Four-Nation Race KeepTrack
- A radio amateur decodes the signal from China's Tianwen-2 probe on its way to an asteroid Korben
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