Scientists believe asteroid samples could reveal clues to the origins and evolution of the solar system
China’s Tianwen-2 space probe has reached its target asteroid after travelling around one billion kilometres over more than a year, the country’s space agency announced on Monday.
Launched in May 2025, Tianwen-2 marks China’s first mission aimed at collecting samples from an asteroid and returning them to Earth for scientific study.
The mission is designed to gather material from a near-Earth asteroid, allowing scientists to examine ancient space rocks that may contain important clues about the formation of the solar system. Researchers hope the samples will provide new information about the early conditions that shaped planets and other celestial bodies.
The successful arrival at its target represents a major milestone for China’s expanding deep-space exploration programme, following previous missions focused on Mars exploration and lunar research.
China’s Tianwen-2 asteroid mission reaches milestone in deep-space exploration
China’s ambitious space programme has reached another major milestone as the Tianwen-2 probe arrived at its asteroid target after a journey of about 400 days and one billion kilometres, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The mission comes as Beijing continues to invest billions of dollars in space exploration as part of President Xi Jinping’s vision of a national “space dream.”
CNSA said Tianwen-2 successfully moved to within 20 kilometres (12 miles) of the asteroid 2016 HO3 and began scientific observations. The agency released an image showing the asteroid as a rugged, grey rocky object against the darkness of space.
The probe will carry out detailed studies of the asteroid’s shape, chemical composition and internal structure before beginning preparations for sample collection, CNSA said.
Once the samples are gathered, Tianwen-2 will deploy a return module designed to bring the material back to Earth for laboratory analysis.
While Japan and the United States have already completed asteroid sample-return missions, experts say Tianwen-2 represents a significant step for China as it seeks to close the gap with leading space powers in deep-space exploration beyond the Moon.
Asteroids are ancient rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, and scientists believe samples collected from them could provide valuable clues about the formation and evolution of the solar system, including the conditions that existed when planets first began to develop.
