China's Tianwen-2 Probe to Collect Samples from Asteroid 2016HO3
China's soon-to-be-launched Tianwen-2 probe will explore the asteroid 2016 HO3 in an effort to better understand the formation and evolution of the solar system, said an expert of the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Tianwen-2 probe, scheduled for launch in the first half of 2025, will collect samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 and explore comet 311P, the China National Space Administration announced on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Asteroid 2016 HO3 orbits stably near Earth and is known as Earth's quasi-satellite. It is the first quasi-satellite of Earth discovered. The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii, USA, first captured the trace of 2016 HO3 in 2016.
However, it is neither a natural satellite of Earth nor a typical near-Earth asteroid. Instead, it is an asteroid that orbits the Sun with nearly identical orbital parameters to Earth, causing it to move in near-synchrony with our planet and "wander" around Earth.
It contains ancient materials from the early solar system, making it a "living fossil" useful for studying how the solar system formed and evolved.
A number of scientists speculate that this celestial body, with a diameter of about 40 to 100 meters, is likely a remnant of an ancient impact event.
"When the Tianwen-2 probe comes close to it, it will take photos to analyze its morphological features on the surface, rotation characteristics, and other basic physical properties. We will also analyze collected spectral data to examine some of its material components, to find out what is the similarity between its material composition and that of the Moon and Earth? This is a key focus of our exploration this time," said Yan Wei, a senior engineer at the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Feb. 22, 2025
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