China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft has successfully reached the near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa after a 400-day journey, the China National Space Administration announced on July 6, 2026.
The probe launched on May 29, 2025, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and traveled approximately 1 billion kilometers.
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It now maintains a stable position 20 kilometers from the asteroid.
Data from the probe shows Kamoʻoalewa is an elongated rocky body just over 20 meters in diameter, smaller than previous ground-based estimates of 40 to 100 meters.
The size aligns with recent James Webb Space Telescope observations indicating a highly reflective surface.
Next Steps for Tianwen-2
The spacecraft will begin detailed studies of the asteroid's physical properties.
"The probe will progressively conduct more detailed scientific exploration to acquire data on the asteroid's morphology, material composition and internal structure, laying the groundwork for subsequent sample collection operations," CNSA said.
Scientists are also studying the asteroid's orbital dynamics.
Kamoʻoalewa is a rare Earth co-orbital object, according to physicist Rongqiao Zhang of the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center.
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"As an Earth quasi-satellite, its orbital period is close to that of Earth, enabling low energy transfer, and it maintains a stable distance of about 0.1–0.3 AU from Earth, providing favorable conditions for tracking, control, and communication," Zhang said.
The asteroid's unusual orbit and unresolved physical properties make it a compelling target for answering fundamental questions about the origins of Earth's quasi-satellites and the dynamical evolution of their orbits, researchers noted.
Initial visual data provides critical insights into the asteroid's composition.
The close-up image "basically confirms" high surface reflectivity, said Mikael Granvik, an astronomer at the University of Helsinki.
Granvik added that the data points toward an origin within the main asteroid belt rather than lunar ejecta.
Tianwen-2 is equipped with three redundant sampling methods: a touch-and-go system, an anchoring mechanism, and a hovering robotic arm.
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The spacecraft is scheduled to depart Kamoʻoalewa in April 2027 and return samples to Earth via a reentry capsule in November 2027, before continuing toward comet 311P/PanSTARRS.
