In the early hours of the 29th, China successfully launched the Tianwen-2 probe of the planetary exploration project into space. The main mission objective of Tianwen-2 is to explore, sample, and return from an asteroid.
According to China's CCTV news, at 1:31 AM on May 29, China successfully launched the probe from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 3B Y110 carrier rocket.
The main mission objective of Tianwen-2 is to explore, sample, and return from asteroid 2016HO3, and subsequently conduct scientific exploration of main belt comet 311P. Asteroid 2016HO3 is one of the quasi-satellites of Earth currently known to humanity.
The report states that the Tianwen-2 mission involves high technical difficulty and high engineering risk, encompassing 13 flight phases including the launch segment, asteroid transfer segment, asteroid approach segment, asteroid rendezvous segment, close asteroid exploration segment, asteroid sampling segment, return waiting segment, return transfer segment, re-entry and recovery segment, main belt comet transfer segment, main belt comet approach segment, main belt comet rendezvous segment, and close main belt comet exploration segment.
After completing the sampling mission, the probe will go through the return waiting segment and the return transfer segment, approaching Earth during the return transfer segment. The return capsule will separate from the main probe and then enter the re-entry and recovery segment alone, with an expected landing and recovery on Earth by the end of 2027.