China Launches Tianwen-2 to Collect ‘Living Fossil’ Asteroid Samples

On Thursday, China launched a space probe on its first mission aimed at collecting samples from an asteroid and bringing them back to Earth for scientific study, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

Investments in China’s “Space Dream”

In recent years, the country has heavily invested in its space program, part of President Xi Jinping’s ambition to fulfill what he calls China’s “space dream.”

China has already built a space station orbiting Earth and plans to send astronauts to the Moon later this decade, with the goal of establishing a permanent lunar base.

The Tianwen-2 mission lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan province, southwestern China, at 1:31 a.m. (17:31 GMT), aboard a Long March-3B rocket.

Eighteen minutes after launch, the probe entered a transfer orbit en route to the asteroid 2016HO3, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), as reported by Xinhua.

“The spacecraft successfully deployed its solar panels, and the CNSA declared the launch a success,” the agency said.

Scientific Expectations and Mission Challenges

Despite the mission’s long duration and associated challenges, scientist Shan expressed optimism about the potential for groundbreaking discoveries that could deepen humanity’s understanding of the universe.

The Tianwen-2 probe is primarily tasked with retrieving material from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and also investigating the comet 311P, according to China’s space agency.

The asteroid, discovered in 2016 by researchers in Hawaii, is estimated to be between 40 and 100 meters in diameter and orbits relatively close to Earth.

Xinhua describes it as a “living fossil” — composed of ancient materials that may offer insights into the early formation of the Solar System.

The comet 311P, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, has caught the attention of scientists due to its unusual characteristics that resemble those of asteroids.

China expects the Tianwen-2 mission to last around ten years.

China’s Progress in Space Exploration

China is the third country to send humans into space — following the United States and the former Soviet Union — and has also successfully landed robotic rovers on both the Moon and Mars.

Its space station, Tiangong — which means “heavenly palace” in Chinese — stands as the centerpiece of its space achievements.

Last month, China launched three astronauts to the Tiangong station for a six-month stay as part of the Shenzhou-20 mission.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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