China's Tianwen-2 probe, launched May 29th, has begun its decade-long mission. Having traveled over 12 million kilometers, it recently captured an image of Earth and the Moon from 590,000 km. Its primary objectives include collecting samples from asteroid Kamo'oalewa in 2027, potentially a lunar fragment, and subsequently exploring comet 311P/PANSTARRS. This ambitious mission aims to analyze the samples' composition and study the comet's activity, potentially revealing insights into the origin of Earth's water and life.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.