China’s Tianwen-2 Spacecraft Reaches Earth’s Quasi-Moon after One Billion-Kilometer Journey
- On July 2, 2026, China's Tianwen-2 probe captured the first close-up images of Kamo'oalewa from about 12 miles away, revealing the small, asymmetrical asteroid in unprecedented detail.
- Launched in May 2025 from Xichang spaceport atop a Long March 3B rocket, Tianwen-2 traveled roughly 620 million miles to reach Earth's quasi-satellite, a small rock orbiting the Sun near our planet's path.
- Some scientists suggest Kamo'oalewa could be lunar ejecta from the Giordano Bruno crater impact, a hypothesis supported by a 2024 study published in Nature Astronomy examining the asteroid's origin.
- Tianwen-2 will conduct reconnaissance over coming months using high-speed maneuvers and a specialized robotic arm—sampling techniques never previously deployed on an asteroid—before collecting approximately 100 grams of material.
- The mission will depart in April 2027 and return samples to Earth by November 2027, after which Tianwen-2 will continue toward the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving by January 2035.
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The National Space Administration of China (CNSA) shared the first image of the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, a “minilune” orbiting near Earth. The photo was obtained by the Tianwen-2 mission, a space probe that was launched in 2025 to approach this object and take some samples. Just Monday it reached the vicinity of ... Continue reading “China reveals the first image of the “minilune” orbiting near Earth” The post China reveals the first image of the “…
Tienven-2 has captured a stunning close-up photo of Earth's mini-moon, Kamoʻoalewa.
The Chinese Tianwen-2 probe managed to capture the closest and most detailed image ever obtained from Kamo-oalewa, a mysterious quasi-satellite that accompanies the Earth on its journey around the Sun
Earth's second moon caught on camera for the first time
For years, a tiny space rock has been quietly following Earth on its journey around the Sun, hiding in plain sight as one of our planet’s mysterious cosmic companions. Now, for the first time, scientists have captured a close-up view of this so-called “second moon” — revealing new details about the strange object that has fascinated astronomers since its discovery. But while it may look like Earth has gained a new neighbor in space, the truth be…
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