Tianwen 2

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

17:31:00

Wednesday May 28, 2025

Mission Details

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Track Payloads

Launch Notes

First Chinese mission to return asteroid samples.

Tianwen 2

Wiki

The Tianwen 2 near-Earth asteroid sample return mission, previously named "Zheng He" after the 15th-century naval explorer and admiral, will target near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3), collecting about 1000 grams of samples from its surface using both touch-and-go and anchor-and-drill approaches. The samples will be returned to Earth about 2.5 years of launch. The main spacecraft will continue its mission after delivering the samples. It will use the visit to Earth for a gravity assist to set it on a course for the main belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving around seven years later.

Heliocentric Orbit

1 Payload

Rocket

Active
Long March 3B/E

Active Since 2007

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation logo

Agency

CASC

Price

$29.15 million

Rocket

Height: 56.3m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 11,500 kg

GTO: 5,550 kg

Liftoff Thrust

5,986 Kilonewtons

Fairing

Diameter: 4.2m

Height: 9.56m

Stages

3

Strap-ons

4

Launch Site

General Trajectory

NE

SE

Launching

East

LC-2

Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China

Fastest Turnaround

18 days

Stats

Long March 3


168th

Mission

9th

Mission of 2025

2025


117th

Orbital launch attempt