Tianwen-2

Tianwen-2
天问二号
Mission typeAsteroid sample return
Comet orbiter/lander
OperatorCNSA
COSPAR ID2025-114A
SATCAT no.64197Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration10 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerCAST
Launch mass≈2,100 kg (4,600 lb)[1][2]
Start of mission
Launch date28 May 2025, 17:31 UTC[3]
RocketLong March 3B[3]
Launch siteXichang LC-2[4][3]
ContractorCASC
469219 Kamoʻoalewa orbiter
Orbital insertion7 June 2026[5]
Orbital departure24 April 2027[5]
Sample mass≥100 g (0.2 lb)[1]
311P/PANSTARRS orbiter
Orbital insertion24 January 2035[5][6][7]

Tianwen-2 (Chinese: 天问二号) 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.[8] The probe uses solar electric propulsion for maneuvering between its many objectives.[9] It is planned to explore the co-orbital near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS.[10] The spacecraft will rendezvous with Kamoʻoalewa and conduct remote sensing observations in orbit, before landing on the asteroid to collect a sample of 100 g (3.5 oz) of regolith.[1][11] Explosives will be used to expose potential subsurface volatiles for detection.[4]

The spacecraft will use both anchor-and-attach and touch-and-go methods to attempt collection of a sample from the asteroid. It would be the first time an anchor-and-attach method has been used on an asteroid, as both OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 used touch-and-go.[12]

Tianwen-2 will then return to Earth to drop off a return capsule containing the sample and conduct a gravity assist maneuver to propel the spacecraft toward 311P/PANSTARRS.[13] Remote sensing and in-situ measurements will be conducted at 311P/PANSTARRS for at least one year.[11][14]

History

Orbit of asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa
311P/PANSTARRS with six tails (September 2013).[15]

In 2018, a deep space exploration roadmap covering the 2020–2030 timeframe was proposed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences,[16] which included an asteroid exploration mission planned for launch around 2022 or 2024.[17][18] Initially, the space probe was known as ZhengHe, with the name referencing the 15th century Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He.[11] In spring 2019, after a design study for the mission was carried out by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the CNSA began soliciting international proposals for scientific instruments to be carried on Tianwen-2.[11][9][13]

In the planning stages, a nano-orbiter and nano-lander were proposed to be deployed to conduct remote sensing and sampling observations.[19] Also, the original secondary target was 133P/Elst–Pizarro, and a flyby of an additional unnamed asteroid may also have been attempted.[4]

Instruments

Tianwen-2 will incorporate several types of instruments, including wide/narrow angle multispectral and color cameras, a thermal emission spectrometer, a visible/near-infrared imaging spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, a magnetometer, and a charged/neutral particle and dust analyzer.[11][13] International contributions to these payloads are being encouraged.

Scientific payload[20]

  • Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer
  • Thermal Radiation Spectrometer
  • Multispectral Camera
  • Medium Field Color Camera
  • Detection Radar
  • Magnetometer
  • Charged and Neutral Particle Analyzers
  • Ejecta Analyzer
  • Narrow Field of View Navigation Sensor
  • Laser Integrated Navigation Sensor

Mission timeline

Mission process[5]
Flight event Time (UTC) Distance between spacecraft and Earth (AU) Distance between spacecraft and Sun (AU)
Launch May 28, 2025 17:31 — 1
Spacecraft separation May 28, 2025 17:49 — 1
Deep space maneuver October 30, 2025 0.31 0.99
469219 Kamo'oalewa Orbit insertion June 7, 2026 0.26 1.06
469219 Kamo'oalewa rendezvous and sample collection July 4, 2026 0.28 1.01
Close-up exploration of 469219 Kamo'oalewa July 2026~April 2027 0.11~0.31 0.89~1.11
Leave 469219 Kamo'oalewa April 24, 2027 0.22 1.1
Return capsule separation November 29, 2027 23,000 km 0.99
Return capsule landing November 29, 2027 09:15 — —
Main spacecraft pull-up maneuver November 29, 2027 17,000 km 1
311P /PANSTARRS transfer — Farthest 3.4 1~2.38
P/2013 P5 rendezvous January 24, 2035 2.71 2.41
P/2013 P5 close-up exploration January~April 2035 2.1~1.64 2.41~2.44

References

  1. ^ a b c 赵志军、全齐全、潘博、危清清、赵京东. "多臂协作式小天体附着取样机器人机械系统". 哈尔滨工业大学. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  2. ^ "长三乙火箭成功发射天问二号探测器" (in Simplified Chinese). 中国航天科技集团有限公司. 2025-05-29.
  3. ^ a b c Cunningham, Doug. "China launches Tianwen-2 asteroid and comet study mission - UPI.com". UPI.
  4. ^ a b c Jones, Andrew (5 August 2020). "China is moving ahead with lunar south pole and near-Earth asteroid missions". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "@AJ_FI". X. 2025-04-11.
  6. ^ Snodgrass, Colin (October 2018). "Exploring the next frontier: the Main Belt Comets – Chinese MBC mission" (PDF). University of Edinburgh. p. 20. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  7. ^ 我们的太空 (2021-04-27). "【讯息·航天】2021中国航天大会 航天领域重磅消息密集发布：小天体探测、月球科研站、重型火箭……" (in Simplified Chinese). 知乎. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  8. ^ Clark, Stephen (28 May 2025). "China extends its reach into the Solar System with launch of asteroid mission". Ars Technica. New York: Conde Nast. Archived from the original on 29 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b Gibney, Elizabeth (30 April 2019). "China plans mission to Earth's pet asteroid". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-01390-5. PMID 32346150. S2CID 155198626. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  10. ^ "China to meet challenges of exploring asteroid, comet". Xinhua. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e Zhang, Xiaojing; Huang, Jiangchuan; Wang, Tong; Huo, Zhuoxi (18–22 March 2019). ZhengHe – A Mission to a Near-Earth Asteroid and a Main Belt Comet (PDF). 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  12. ^ "China Plans Near-Earth Asteroid Smash-and-Grab". IEEE Spectrum. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  13. ^ a b c "China invites world scientists to explore asteroid, comet together". Xinhua. 18 April 2019. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  14. ^ "China pushes forward exploration of small celestial bodies". Xinhua. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  15. ^ "When is a comet not a comet?". ESA/Hubble Press Release. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  16. ^ Xu, Lin; Zou, Yongliao; Jia, Yingzhuo (2018). "China's planning for deep space exploration and lunar exploration before 2030" (PDF). Chinese Journal of Space Science. 38 (5): 591–592. Bibcode:2018ChJSS..38..591X. doi:10.11728/cjss2018.05.591. S2CID 256881663. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  17. ^ "China outlines roadmap for deep space exploration". SpaceDaily. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  18. ^ Wang, F. (27 June 2018), "China's Cooperation Plan on Lunar and Deep Space Exploration" (PDF), Sixty-first session (2018) of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, UNOOSA, retrieved 4 June 2019.
  19. ^ Ho, T.M.; Kührt, E.; Zhang, X.J.; Auster, U.; Biele, J.; Grott, M.; Grundmann, J.T.; He, H.; Hördt, A.; Huang, J.C.; Ma, T.; Mottola, S.; Otto, K.; Plettemeier, D.; Qin, L.; Rubin, M.; Schmitz, N.; Ulamec, S.; Vincent, J.B. (2023). "A nanolander for a space mission to an active asteroid in the main belt". Acta Astronautica. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.08.024. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  20. ^ 李春来、刘建军、任鑫、严韦、张舟斌、李海英、欧阳自远 (2024-05-09). ""天问二号"任务科学目标和有效载荷配置". 深空探测学报(中英文） (in Simplified Chinese). 11 (3): 304–310. doi:10.15982/j.issn.2096-9287.2024.20230185. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
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