China's Tianwen-2 Spacecraft on a Mission to Kamo'oalewa, Earth's Quasi-Moon

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has unveiled the first image captured by its Tianwen-2 spacecraft, which is currently en route to Kamo'oalewa, a near-Earth asteroid. This image, taken from over 3 million kilometers away, showcases one of the spacecraft's wings with its solar panels fully extended. Launched on May 29 aboard a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Zeyuan Town, China, this marks the first public glimpse of the probe.

The solar panels of Tianwen-2 are designed similarly to those of NASA's Lucy spacecraft, which is on a mission to study asteroids near Jupiter. These panels are essential to meet the energy requirements for the upcoming journey.

Tianwen-2 aims to land on the surface of Kamo'oalewa to collect samples and return them to Earth. The spacecraft is expected to reach the asteroid's surface in July 2026. Prior to landing, it will conduct several months of observations from a safe distance to identify optimal sampling locations, a task made challenging by the asteroid's low gravitational pull.

Once samples are collected, Tianwen-2 will make its way back to Earth, where it plans to release the samples in a capsule. Following this, it will utilize Earth's gravity to slingshot towards 311P/PanSTARRS, an unusual asteroid located beyond Mars that exhibits some comet-like features, such as visible tails. The entire mission is projected to continue until 2035.

Kamo'oalewa is classified as one of Earth's seven known quasi-moons--objects that appear to orbit our planet but are not gravitationally bound to it. Instead, they are asteroids that follow an orbit around the sun closely resembling that of Earth.

Discovered in 2016 by astronomers at Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii, Kamo'oalewa, which translates to "oscillating celestial object" in Hawaiian, is located approximately 4.65 million kilometers away, making it 12 times further from Earth than the moon. The asteroid is estimated to be between 40 to 100 meters in diameter and has maintained its current orbit for a century, with projections to continue for another 300 years.

Researchers are hopeful that the Tianwen-2 mission will shed light on the origins of Kamo'oalewa. One prevailing theory posits that it may be a fragment that broke away from the moon millions of years ago. The sampling mission will provide critical insights into the composition of rocky celestial bodies and assist in understanding the formation of our solar system.

Additionally, observational data and modeling suggest that Kamo'oalewa has been orbiting the sun for millions of years, albeit on an unstable path. A direct exploration of this asteroid could enhance our understanding of nearby celestial objects that may pose potential threats to Earth.