(NET) Long March CZ-3B/E • Tianwen 2

(NET) Long March CZ-3B/E • Tianwen 2

A Chinese Long March (Chang Zheng) CZ-3B/E (CZ-3B/G3) rocket will launch the Tianwen 2 asteroid sample return mission, also named Zhenghe. It will visit near Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa (2016 HO3). The Tianwen 2 spacecraft will deploy two distinct sampling techniques: a touch-and-go (TAG) method, similar to those used by NASA's OSIRIS-REx and JAXA's Hayabusa 2 missions, and an anchor-and-attach system that incorporates drills at the landing legs' tips. After carrying out initial remote-sensing observations, it will collect a sample of 100g of regolith and return it to the Earth. The spacecraft will then turn its attention to 311P/PanSTARRS, a comet-like asteroid, which it will reach in 2034. Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/live/KD3Y_9AyEsg

📍 Launch Complex 2 - Xichang Satellite Launch Center https://goo.gl/maps/jPMuSVHbzmWEYCp38

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