China to launch Tianwen 2 asteroid-sampling mission in 2025
The Tianwen 2 mission will first target the near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa which may be a blasted-off piece of Earth's moon. The spacecraft will collect samples from the space rock using a touch-and-go technique.
Tianwen 2 will also attempt an anchor-and-attach method using four robotic arms to land on Kamo'oalewa with drills on the arms securing the probe to the surface of the 130-foot-wide asteroid.
Tianwen 2 is expected to return to Earth more than 2 years after launch dropping off its invaluable cargo. Following release of its reentry capsule Tianwen 2 will use Earth's gravity to help propel it out toward an active asteroid an object with properties of both asteroids and comets.
The spacecraft will embark on a roughly 7-year-long voyage out to 311P/PANSTARRS. It will orbit and analyze the object using a range of cameras and spectrometers to glean insights into questions such as the mystery of the source of Earth's water.
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