Next Thursday, the China National Space Administration(CNSA) will launch the first asteroid sample collection mission with the Tianwen-2 probe and study of comet 311P.
Tianwen-2 probe ready for launch from Sichuan
The Long March-3B Y110 rocket is on the pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, loading propellant and completing final tests before launch. The mission’s immediate target is the near-Earth asteroid named 2016 HO3, also known as Kamo’oalewa. The probe will fly over this small object, collect surface material and bring the samples back to our planet.
After completing the delivery of the collected material, Tianwen-2 will continue its route through the solar system. solar system to a second target: comet 311P, located in the main asteroid belt. There it will make detailed observations that could provide clues about the evolution of these icy bodies.
The space mission involves complex coordination between several entities: the control center in Beijing, monitoring stations in Xi’an and a fleet of Yuanwang tracking vessels deployed to ensure global coverage of the event. The CNSA has confirmed that all systems have passed the necessary joint tests and technical checks.
The choice of Kamo’oalewa responds to the interest in objects whose orbits are gravitationally linked to the Earth. For its part, comet 311P could reveal information about cometary activity on bodies orbiting within the main belt.
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Source and photo: CGTN
