China launched the Tianwen-2 spacecraft, its second mission to explore the Solar System. The spacecraft will collect samples from asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and return them to Earth by late 2027. Following this, Tianwen-2 will explore a comet-like object between Mars and Jupiter. This ambitious mission makes China the first to retrieve celestial material beyond the Moon and attempts both asteroid and comet exploration in a single mission, closing the gap with other space agencies like NASA and JAXA.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.