Long March 3B/E | Tianwen-2
Long March 3B/E launched the Tianwen-2 mission for China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on May 28, 2025 (UTC).
Launch pad
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) · Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Long March 3B/E | Tianwen-2
Launched May 29, 2025 2:31:00 AMSuccess
Flight direction
90° E
orbit unknown: due east assumed
Flight path
First-stage drop zone (rough estimate)
Drawn 400–700 km downrange along the flight direction. Official hazard areas are published as NOTAMs and navigational warnings.
About the mission
Tianwen-2 is a planned Chinese asteroid sample return and comet orbiter mission due for launch in May 2025. The spacecraft will visit the Near Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3), collecting samples from its surface using both touch-and-go and anchor-and-drill approaches. It will return the samples back to Earth around 2.5 years after launch, with the main spacecraft proceeding to visit the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS in the mid-2030s.
Mission description from Launch Library 2.
- Launch time (your time zone)
- Thu, May 29 · 2:31:00 AM
- Status
- Success
- Launch provider
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
- Rocket
- Long March 3B/E
- Mission type
- Planetary Science
- Target orbit
- Asteroid
- Launch pad
- Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) · Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China