China's Tianwen-2 en route to Moon fragment candidate Kamo'oalewa
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft is on its way to Kamo'oalewa, a tiny asteroid that might actually be a chunk of the Moon.
Launched in May 2025, it'll land on the asteroid in July 2026, scoop up some samples, and bring them home by April 2027.
This will be China's first mission to bring back material from an asteroid: pretty big news for space fans!
Tianwen-2 to collect 100 milligrams
Kamo'oalewa isn't your average space rock: it orbits the Sun alongside Earth and could have formed from a Moon impact millions of years ago.
Tianwen-2 is packed with 11 science instruments to map, analyze, and collect up to 100 milligrams of asteroid dust. After this mission wraps up, the spacecraft will even swing by another asteroid in 2035.
It's another step forward for China's growing ambitions in exploring our solar system.