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The Tianwen 2 probe, launched in 2025, is in transfer orbit to asteroid 2016 HO3 — a rock about 50 meters across that orbits the Sun as an Earth quasi-moon. Approach and sample collection are planned for 2026, in China’s first mission to return material from an asteroid.
According to Xinhua, the Chinese state agency, the Tianwen 2 probe has been heading towards its target since 2025.
According to Brasília Infoco, citing an official statement from CNSA (China National Space Administration), the asteroid approach is scheduled for 2026.
According to CNSA, this is China’s first asteroid exploration mission with sample return.
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Therefore, this achievement places China on a short list of countries that have attempted to bring asteroid fragments back to Earth — previously, only Japan and the United States had succeeded.
According to Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of CNSA’s system engineering department, the probe will study the rock’s composition up close before collecting samples.
For comparison, China went from 68 space launches in 2024 to 92 in 2025, an increase of 35%.
2016 HO3: The quasi-moon no one was seeing
The mission’s target is an asteroid called 2016 HO3.
According to astronomical designation, it was discovered in 2016 — hence the name.
On the other hand, what makes it special is not its size: it is about 40 to 100 meters in diameter, according to official records.
Next comes the curious part: 2016 HO3 is an Earth quasi-satellite.
As a result, it orbits the Sun — not Earth — but does so in a path that keeps it always close to our planet.
In this context, it’s as if it accompanies Earth from afar, describing a spiral pattern throughout each year.
Indeed, 2016 HO3 is pointed out by astronomers as the most stable known quasi-satellite — a characteristic that makes it a perfect target for a sample return mission.
How Tianwen 2 will touch the rock without destroying it
Collection in microgravity is the biggest technical challenge.
Therefore, the probe carries robotic arms and specific friction mechanisms to work on a very low-mass body.
According to CNSA, the mission plan foresees two collection methods.
The first is direct anchoring on the surface. The second is touch-and-go, a method already used by Japan’s JAXA on Hayabusa2.
As Xinhua showed, the probe also carries spectrometry instruments to map minerals before collection.
Similarly, optical and infrared cameras are expected to record the asteroid in high resolution.
Then, after collecting, the probe is expected to perform a return maneuver and send the sample capsule back to Earth.
China, which performs 92 launches per year and is doubling its space station
The mission’s context is part of a Chinese space agenda at an industrial pace.
According to Xinhua, there were 92 launch missions in 2025, a national record.
For comparison, this surpasses the American Apollo program in monthly frequency.
On the other hand, most are communication or observation satellites — but the scientific fraction also grew.
In 2025, China also conducted 4 crewed missions and 2 returns, including the program’s first emergency launch in history.
Similarly, the Tiangong space station is planned to double in size by 2030.
Consequently, comparison with the United States is constant: while NASA discusses the deactivation of the ISS by 2031, China is preparing its next orbital generation.
Before the current Chinese mission came its predecessor — and 3.5 terabytes of Mars data
The current mission follows the success of its predecessor.
According to CNSA, the Tianwen 1 probe had already landed on Mars in 2021 with the Zhurong rover.
As a result, the mission released 3.5 terabytes of scientific data about Mars, publicly available to researchers worldwide.
Therefore, the mission arrives with a solid technical framework — inheriting instruments and protocols.
Similarly, Tianwen 3 is already under development, focusing on Mars sample return.
Consequently, the numbering indicates a planned series of Chinese interplanetary missions.
Who else has brought an asteroid home
Before it, only two agencies had completed asteroid sample returns.
In 2010, Japan’s JAXA brought dust from asteroid Itokawa via the Hayabusa mission.
Subsequently, Hayabusa2 returned in 2020 with material from asteroid Ryugu.
According to NASA, the American OSIRIS-REx mission brought samples from asteroid Bennu in 2023.
On the other hand, all of these involved bodies different from 2016 HO3 in one key aspect: none were quasi-satellites.
Therefore, this is the first recorded attempt to collect from an Earth quasi-moon.
As Gizmodo Brasil also shows, CAS Space plans reusable rockets by 2028, changing the launch pace.
What the collection can reveal
The analysis of rock samples has three scientific fronts:
- Mineralogical composition of quasi-satellites — bodies little studied in situ
- Chronology of the early solar system via isotopic dating of samples
- Resource assessment for future space mining on nearby rocks
- Support for planetary defense — understanding near-Earth objects
According to CNSA, the material is expected to arrive on Earth in a sealed capsule, after collection from the asteroid.
Therefore, international institutions have already entered into discussions to access part of the samples.
As also highlighted in the portal’s recent coverage, China combines execution speed in space projects with heavy investments in other fronts — such as 4th generation nuclear reactors for Turkey.
Similarly, in coverage on wind power regulation in the Northeast, the portal documented the speed of Chinese works compared to stalled Brazilian projects.
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