That’s one reason why Tianwen-2’s roundtrip journey to asteroid Kamoʻoalewa will last just two-and-a-half years. Japan’s Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return mission lasted six years from launch through its return to Earth, while NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission made the trip to an asteroid back in seven years. Both visited near-Earth asteroids more distant than Kamoʻoalewa, where Tianwen-2 will arrive in July 2026 and start searching for a location to retrieve samples.
Tianwen-2 will try to collect samples in several ways. One method will involve maneuvering the spacecraft close to the surface and matching the asteroid’s rotation, and extending a robotic arm to gather specimens. The spacecraft will also descend to
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