A Visit to Earth's Quasi-Moon
Tianwen-2 launched on a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang on 28 May 2025 (29 May in China) and reached the near-Earth asteroid Kamo‘oalewa in early July 2026. Kamo‘oalewa is a quasi-satellite of Earth: it circles the Sun in step with our planet, so seen from Earth it seems to loop around us all year. It may be a fragment of the Moon, thrown off by an ancient impact.
Collecting a Sample
Tianwen-2 is flying alongside the asteroid and mapping it before it tries to collect at least 100 grams of material: by hovering, by touch-and-go, or by anchoring itself to the surface. It is due to leave in April 2027 and release a sample capsule as it passes Earth in late November 2027, then fly on to the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, which it is due to reach in 2035.
Its Place on the Map
While Tianwen-2 flies alongside Kamo‘oalewa, the tracker shows the asteroid's own position, which the spacecraft is accompanying. The distance between them is tiny next to the millions of kilometres between the asteroid and Earth.