China launches Tianwen-2, its first asteroid sample-return mission
China launched its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen-2, in the early hours of Thursday, 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, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
A Long March-3B carrier rocket blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 1:31 a.m. (Beijing Time). 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.
Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, stated that the Tianwen-2 mission represents a significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration.
Explaining why the asteroid 2016HO3 was chosen for sampling, Han Siyuan, deputy director of the CNSA's Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center and spokesperson for the Tianwen-2 mission, said this asteroid has a relatively stable orbit, requiring lower energy consumption for spacecraft to reach it, while enabling a viable scenario for subsequent exploration of the main-belt comet 311P,
The Tianwen-2 mission is expected to advance understanding of the origins, evolution and characteristics of these two types of small celestial bodies, Han said.
Scientifically, the mission focuses on measuring physical parameters of the two celestial targets, including their orbital dynamics, rotation, size, shape and thermal properties.
The mission will also investigate the topography, composition and internal structure of the two celestial bodies, and possibly study the materials ejected by the main-belt comet, Han said.
After the samples are brought back to Earth, laboratory analysis will be carried out to determine the samples' physical properties, chemical and mineral composition and structural characteristics, he added.
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