China took another bold step in deep space exploration today with the launch of Tianwen-2, an ambitious robotic mission aimed at retrieving samples from a near-Earth asteroid and later journeying to a rare main-belt comet. If successful, China will become only the third country—after Japan and the United States—to return material from an asteroid.
Tianwen-2 lifts off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, May 29, 2025 Beijing Time (May 28 ET). Credit: Xinhua/Cai Yang.
Tianwen-2 lifted off aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 1:31 p.m. Eastern Time (1:31 a.m. Beijing Time, May 29). The mission marks a major milestone in China’s growing space capabilities, pushing beyond its extensive robotic lunar exploration achievements into more complex interplanetary endeavors.
The spacecraft is targeting asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3), a small body in a solar orbit closely aligned with Earth's. Kamoʻoalewa, whose name means “oscillating celestial fragment” in Hawaiian, was discovered in 2016 by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope. Some scientists speculate the asteroid may be a fragment ejected from the Moon during an ancient impact event that formed the Giordano Bruno crater.
Tianwen-2 is expected to reach the asteroid in July 2026, where it will enter orbit and begin studying the surface. The mission aims to collect between 20 and 100 grams of material using two sampling techniques: the "touch-and-go" method successfully used by Japan's Hayabusa missions and NASA's OSIRIS-REx, as well as a novel "anchor-and-attach" technique involving drills.
Credit: Xinhua Sci-Tech on X
Collecting samples from Kamoʻoalewa presents significant engineering challenges. The asteroid is only 40–100 meters in diameter, has near-zero gravity, and rotates rapidly. According to Chen Chunliang of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the asteroid’s shape and rotation are still poorly understood, which complicated spacecraft and sampling system design.
After gathering its samples, Tianwen-2 will depart the asteroid in April 2027, and the return capsule is scheduled to reenter Earth’s atmosphere in November 2027, delivering the precious cargo. As with its international predecessors, the main spacecraft will not return to Earth but will instead continue on a new journey.
Following the sample return, Tianwen-2 will head to comet 311P/PANSTARRS, an unusual object located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Expected to arrive in 2035, the spacecraft will study the comet for about a year. 311P is classified as a "main-belt comet" because it exhibits comet-like tails despite residing in an asteroid-like orbit—an anomaly that scientists are eager to understand.
Tianwen-2 is China’s second dedicated deep-space mission, following Tianwen-1, which successfully placed both an orbiter and a rover on Mars in 2021. The country’s earlier Chang’e lunar missions established China as a major force in robotic exploration, having returned samples from both the near and far sides of the Moon.
The Tianwen-2 launch also underscores a broader trend: China's increasing investment in SpaceX-style planetary missions. As global interest in asteroid mining, planetary defense, and deep-space research grows, China is clearly positioning itself as a long-term competitor in the field.
More interplanetary missions are already on the horizon. Tianwen-3, a Mars sample return mission, is slated for 2028, while Tianwen-4, targeting Jupiter and its moon Callisto, is scheduled for 2029.
“Tianwen,” which translates to “Questions to Heaven,” continues to reflect China’s expanding vision for its space program—one that now stretches from the Moon and Mars to distant asteroids and comets, and eventually even deeper into the cosmos.
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