Tianwen-2 (Chinese: 天问二号) is a planned Chinese asteroid sample return and comet exploration mission that is currently under development.[6] Tianwen-2 was originally known as ZhengHe.[7]
| Mission type | Asteroid sample return Comet orbiter/lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA |
| Mission duration | 10 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | CAST |
| Launch mass | ≤2,000 kg (4,400 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 2025 (planned)[2] |
| Rocket | Long March 3B[2] |
| Launch site | Xichang[3] |
| Contractor | CASC |
| 469219 Kamoʻoalewa orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | 2026 |
| Orbital departure | 2027 |
| Sample mass | ≥100 g (0.2 lb)[1] |
| 311P/PANSTARRS orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | 2034[4][5] |
Overview
editTianwen-2 is scheduled to be launched on a Long March 3B rocket in May 2025.[2] It will use solar electric propulsion to explore the co-orbital near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS.[8][9] The spacecraft will rendezvous with Kamoʻoalewa and conduct remote sensing observations in orbit, before landing on the asteroid to collect a sample of 100 g (3.5 oz) of regolith.[1][7] A nano-orbiter and nano-lander will be deployed to conduct remote sensing and sampling observations, and explosives will be used to expose potential subsurface volatiles for detection.[3]
The spacecraft will use both anchor-and-attach and touch-and-go methods to attempt collection of a sample from the asteroid. It would be the first time an anchor-and-attach method has been used on an asteroid, as both OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 used touch-and-go.[10]
Tianwen-2 will then return to Earth to drop off a return capsule containing the sample and conduct a gravity assist maneuver to propel the spacecraft toward 311P/PANSTARRS.[11] A flyby of an unnamed asteroid may also be attempted en route to 311P/PANSTARRS.[3] Remote sensing and in-situ measurements will be conducted at 311P/PANSTARRS for at least one year.[7][12]
The original name of this mission referenced the 15th century Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He.
History
editIn 2018, a deep space exploration roadmap covering the 2020–2030 timeframe was proposed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences,[13] which included an asteroid exploration mission planned for launch around 2022 or 2024.[14][15] In spring 2019, after a design study for the mission was carried out by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the CNSA began soliciting international proposals for scientific instruments to be carried on Tianwen-2.[7][8][11]
Instruments
editTianwen-2 will incorporate several types of instruments, including wide/narrow angle multispectral and color cameras, a thermal emission spectrometer, a visible/near-infrared imaging spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, a magnetometer, and a charged/neutral particle and dust analyzer.[7][11] International contributions to these payloads are being encouraged.
- Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer
- Thermal Radiation Spectrometer
- Multispectral Camera
- Medium Field Color Camera
- Detection Radar
- Magnetometer
- Charged and Neutral Particle Analyzers
- Ejecta Analyzer
- Narrow Field of View Navigation Sensor
- Laser Integrated Navigation Sensor
References
edit- ^ a b c 赵志军、全齐全、潘博、危清清、赵京东. "多臂协作式小天体附着取样机器人机械系统". 哈尔滨工业大学. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ a b c Jones, Andrew (26 June 2023). "China conducts parachute tests for asteroid sample return mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Jones, Andrew (5 August 2020). "China is moving ahead with lunar south pole and near-Earth asteroid missions". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ Snodgrass, Colin (October 2018). "Exploring the next frontier: the Main Belt Comets – Chinese MBC mission" (PDF). University of Edinburgh. p. 20. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ 我们的太空 (2021-04-27). "【讯息·航天】2021中国航天大会 航天领域重磅消息密集发布：小天体探测、月球科研站、重型火箭……" (in Simplified Chinese). 知乎. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (2022-05-18). "China to launch Tianwen 2 asteroid-sampling mission in 2025". Space.com. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
- ^ a b c d e Zhang, Xiaojing; Huang, Jiangchuan; Wang, Tong; Huo, Zhuoxi (18–22 March 2019). ZhengHe – A Mission to a Near-Earth Asteroid and a Main Belt Comet (PDF). 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ a b Gibney, Elizabeth (30 April 2019). "China plans mission to Earth's pet asteroid". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-01390-5. PMID 32346150. S2CID 155198626. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "China to meet challenges of exploring asteroid, comet". Xinhua. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "China Plans Near-Earth Asteroid Smash-and-Grab". IEEE Spectrum. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
- ^ a b c "China invites world scientists to explore asteroid, comet together". Xinhua. 18 April 2019. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "China pushes forward exploration of small celestial bodies". Xinhua. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ Xu, Lin; Zou, Yongliao; Jia, Yingzhuo (2018). "China's planning for deep space exploration and lunar exploration before 2030" (PDF). Chinese Journal of Space Science. 38 (5): 591–592. Bibcode:2018ChJSS..38..591X. doi:10.11728/cjss2018.05.591. S2CID 256881663. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "China outlines roadmap for deep space exploration". SpaceDaily. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ Wang, F. (27 June 2018), "China's Cooperation Plan on Lunar and Deep Space Exploration" (PDF), Sixty-first session (2018) of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, UNOOSA, retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ 李春来、刘建军、任鑫、严韦、张舟斌、李海英、欧阳自远 (2024-05-09). ""天问二号"任务科学目标和有效载荷配置". 深空探测学报(中英文） (in Simplified Chinese). 11 (3): 304–310. doi:10.15982/j.issn.2096-9287.2024.20230185. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
