Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
XICHANG, May 29 (Xinhua) — China launched its first asteroid sample-collecting mission, Tianwen-2, into space in the early hours of Thursday. The mission aims to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system.
The Tianwen-2 probe was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The Tianwen-2 mission has several goals to be achieved during its ten-year expedition: collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and exploring comet 311P in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
China National Space Administration chief Shan Zhongde said the Tianwen-2 mission represents an important step in a new phase of China’s interplanetary exploration.
Despite the mission’s length and significant risks, Shan Zhongde expressed hope that it would bring revolutionary discoveries and expand humanity’s knowledge of space. –0–