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2025 · China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Tianwen-2

successLong March 3B/E | Tianwen-2

Tianwen-2 is a planned Chinese asteroid sample return and comet orbiter mission due for launch in May 2025. The spacecraft will visit the Near Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3), collecting samples from its surface using both touch-and-go and anchor-and-drill approaches. It will return the samples back to Earth around 2.5 years after launch, with the main spacecraft proceeding to visit the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS in the mid-2030s.

Overview

Date / time
May 28, 2025 at 05:31 PM UTC
Outcome
success
Launch site
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)
Mission
Tianwen-2
Mission type
Planetary Science
Orbit achieved
Asteroid
Launch vehicle
Long March 3B/E →
Launch provider
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation →

Payloads deployed · 1

TIANWEN-2
Heliocentric