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China is launching its Tianwen-2 spacecraft on Thursday to collect samples from near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa. The mission, launching from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, aims to return samples to Earth by late 2027. Success would make China the third nation to retrieve asteroid material, following Japan and the United States. The mission's goal is to study the asteroid's composition, potentially revealing insights into the formation of Earth and the Moon.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.