China's mysterious ‘quasi moon' probe, first-ever image revealed
Chinese officials have unveiled the first image of their highly secretive
Tianwen 2
spacecraft just two weeks after its launch. The spacecraft is on a mission to collect samples from a quasi-moon, marking a significant step in China's space exploration efforts. Interestingly, Tianwen 2 bears striking similarities to a current NASA spacecraft, raising curiosity about the design and technology choices. This early glimpse offers a rare look into China's ambitious plans and advanced space capabilities as they push forward in their quest to explore and study celestial bodies beyond Earth.
First image of 'quasi moon' captured by Tianwen spacecraft on May 29
Much of the Tianwen 2 mission's development and objectives have been shrouded in secrecy. The launch, scheduled for May 29, was not livestreamed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which announced the successful lift-off about an hour after it happened.
According to LiveScience, the Tianwen 2 probe was successfully launched into space onboard a Long March 3B rocket, which took off from the Xichang spaceport in southwestern China at around 1:31 a.m. local time. In July 2026, the Tianwen 2 spacecraft will approach
Kamo'oalewa
, a small asteroid about the size of a Ferris wheel, and attempt to land and collect samples. Kamo'oalewa, meaning 'oscillating celestial object' in Hawaiian, is a quasi-satellite that orbits the Sun alongside Earth but isn't gravitationally tied to our planet — it will eventually drift away.
On Friday, June 6, CNSA released the first picture of one of the probe's 10-sided solar panels extending out into the void of space. The release also included a statement revealing that the probe is functioning as planned and is already around 1.9 million miles (3 million kilometers) from Earth — about eight times farther away than the Moon.
Know about the quasi-moon
Kamo'oalewa, measuring between 40 and 100 meters wide, maintains a distance of at least 4.6 million kilometres from Earth. This satellite completes a circuit around our planet roughly every 45 years. Scientists think that Kamo'oalewa originated from the Moon, potentially ejected into space after a meteor impact millions of years ago, and now orbits the Sun in tandem with Earth.
Earth has six other quasi-moons, which all orbit the Sun alongside our planet but are not permanently bound to us. These space rocks are usually referred to as 'minimoons' — a term typically reserved for objects that temporarily orbit our planet at much closer distances for shorter periods, usually less than a year.
Astronomers believe there are numerous other quasi-moons and
minimoons
around Earth yet to be discovered. Research also suggests Venus might have similar co-orbitals, potentially posing a future threat to Earth if gravitational forces pull them our way.
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