Tianwen

After the Earth flyby, Tianwen-2 will begin a multi-year extended mission to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The Tianwen-2 spacecraft has a 15-meter wingspan.

Tianwen-2 will use cameras, navigation sensors, and radar to map Kamoʻoalewa at single-digit-centimeter resolution.

Tianwen-2's extended mission will primarily focus on asteroid 311P/PanSTARRS.

Tianwen-2 will collect samples from Kamoʻoalewa using touch-and-go and anchor-and-attach methods.

Tianwen-2 is scheduled to arrive at Kamo'oalewa on July 4, 2026.

Tianwen-2’s mission sequence includes launch, rendezvous with 2016HO3, orbital reconnaissance, sample collection, liftoff, separation of the main probe and return capsule, a main-probe maneuver, a pending task, and arrival at 311P.

Tianwen-2 is scheduled to arrive at asteroid 2016 HO3 in July 2026.

Tianwen-2 is scheduled to return to Earth around the end of 2027.

Tianwen-2 will arrive at Kamo'oalewa in July 2026, with prior information indicating an expected arrival date of July 4, 2026.

Tianwen-2 arrived at asteroid AST469219.

Tianwen-2 is expected to perform a burn on June 7, 2026 Beijing time to set up a rendezvous with the small, rapidly spinning asteroid Kamo'oalewa.

The extended mission of Tianwen-2 will also test China’s deep space communications infrastructure ahead of the Tianwen-4 mission to Jupiter.

The Tianwen-2 sample return capsule is expected to land near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is used for Shenzhou crew returns.

Tianwen-2 will begin an extended mission after releasing its sample return capsule.

Tianwen-2 is expected to release its sample return capsule during an Earth flyby in November 2027.

The leaked schedule has Tianwen-2 collecting between 200 and 1,000 grams of samples from Kamoʻoalewa using touch-and-go and anchor-and-attach methods.

Tianwen-2 was healthy in deep space at a United Nations presentation in February and at a press conference in April.