Chinese Probe Tianwen-2 Captures First Image of Asteroid Kamo'oalewa

The Chinese Tianwen-2 probe has reached the asteroid Kamo'oalewa and transmitted its first close-up image, marking a milestone in the country's first sample-return mission to a near-Earth object. Launched on May 29, 2025, the spacecraft traveled about 1 billion kilometers over 13 months to rendezvous with the quasi-satellite Source: Clarin.

Mission Progress

On July 2, 2026, Tianwen-2 maneuvered to within 20 kilometers of Kamo'oalewa, capturing an image that shows the asteroid's irregular shape Source: Infobae. The probe first detected the object optically on June 6 and then closed from 30,000 kilometers to 2,000 kilometers by June 19, refining the asteroid's orbital position from a margin of over 100 kilometers to just a few kilometers Source: Infobae.

Scientific Goals

Kamo'oalewa, also designated 2016HO3, is a quasi-satellite of Earth—one of only seven known—orbiting the Sun but staying relatively close to our planet Source: Clarin. The asteroid is estimated to be 40–100 meters in diameter, making it possibly the smallest ever visited by a spacecraft Source: Clarin. Scientists aim to determine whether it is a rubble pile or a monolithic body, analyze its composition for water traces, and investigate its orbital evolution Source: Clarin. Crucially, returned samples will help confirm if Kamo'oalewa is a fragment of the Moon, as telescopic data have suggested Source: Clarin.

Next Steps

Tianwen-2 will spend about nine months studying the asteroid before collecting samples and delivering them to Earth via a capsule during a flyby, expected by late 2027 Source: Infobae. After that, the probe will continue to main-belt comet 311P, located beyond Mars Source: Clarin.