China Launches Tianwen-2 to Retrieve Asteroid Samples

Beijing, 29 May (ONA) —- China launched its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen-2, in the early hours of today, an endeavour to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system.

The Tianwen-2 mission aims to achieve multiple goals over a decade-long expedition: collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and exploring the main-belt comet 311P, which is more distant than Mars.

A Long March-3B carrier rocket blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. And about 18 minutes later, the Tianwen-2 probe was sent into a transfer orbit from Earth to the asteroid 2016HO3, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The spacecraft unfolded its solar panels smoothly, and the CNSA declared the launch a success.

Head of the CNSA, Shan Zhongde stated that the Tianwen-2 mission represents a significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration.

Despite the mission's long duration and significant risks, he expressed his expectation of yielding groundbreaking discoveries and expanding humanity's knowledge of the cosmos.

—- Ends/Khalid