Calling for SETI observations at radio and optical wavelengths, as well as lighting up the objects with planetary radar, Benford gives a nod to Ronald Bracewell, who speculated that one way for an extraterrestrial intelligence to study a stellar system would be to plant a probe within it that could inform the home civilization about events there. The Earth co-orbitals are made to order for such observation, so why not give them a look with all the tools in our SETI arsenal?
According to Liu Jizhong, director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the current plan is to study 2016 HO3 from space before landing on it to collect samples for return to Earth. Following delivery of the sample return capsule, the probe is to proceed to comet 133P by means of gravity assists at Earth and Mars, in a mission lasting on the order of 10 years.
Tianwen-2 has basically completed the development of the first sample and is expected to be launched around May 2025Zhang Rongqiao, the chief designer of China's first Mars exploration mission project, said in an interview with the media recently that Tianwen-2 has basically completed the work of the prototype development stage, and will transfer to the prototype development stage in the middle of 2023. It will be in May 2025. Launch before and after.Zhang Rongqiao said that the detection object of the Tianwen-2 mission is an internationally recognized celestial body with its own particularity, that is, the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3. The Tianwen-2 mission will realize the sample return of the asteroid, which will be the first time that China has retrieved samples from the interplanetary. This asteroid is more than 40 million kilometers away from the earth, and it is very small. After completing this main mission, Tianwen-2 will also go to detect a newly discovered main belt comet.Talking about the difficulty of asteroid detection, Zhang Rongqiao said that unlike Mars, there is no gravity on asteroids, which means that the spacecraft cannot fly around the asteroid, but can only catch up with it in the vast universe, fly with it, and accompany it Attach in the process, choose the opportunity to sample.In addition, China has also planned the Tianwen-3 and Tianwen-4 missions. Zhang Rongqiao said that the Tianwen-3 mission will return samples from Mars, and the Tianwen-4 mission will explore the Jupiter system. Key technical breakthroughs."
Tianwen-2 is scheduled to launch in 2025, Bian Zhigang, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), said Sept. 24, according to Chinese media The Paper.
The CZ-3B prepare days are 16, so the launch date might be on May 29...
Tianwen-2 asteroid probe will be launched into space by the Long March 3B Y111 rockethttps://x.com/CNSAWatcher/status/1921134509916860642
The NOTAM for CZ-3B from Xichang, launched about on May 29 01:00 UTC.
On May 18, the planetary exploration project Tianwen-2 probe successfully transferred to the launch area after completing the technical area assembly, testing, and refueling work at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center as planned. In the future, various functional inspections and joint tests will be carried out as planned, and the launch is planned to be carried out at the end of May. Prior to this, the Long March 3B Yao-110 carrier rocket that will carry out the Tianwen-2 launch mission was successfully transferred from the technical area to the launch area on May 14, and completed the lifting and integration work.The Tianwen-2 probe and the Long March 3B rocket were developed by the Fifth Academy and the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology. (Zhang Wei, Li Yi, Shi Yichen)
The Tianwen-2 mission is scheduled to be launched on May 29After comprehensive analysis and decision-making by the engineering mission command, the planetary exploration project Tianwen-2 mission is scheduled to be launched on May 29.At present, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, various preparations for the mission are progressing steadily. The Long March 3B Yao-110 carrier rocket that will carry out this launch is about to be filled with propellant.Previously, the Tianwen-2 probe completed the technical area assembly, testing, filling, transfer, functional inspection, joint testing and other tasks as planned. The carrier rocket completed the transfer, hoisting, vehicle-rocket docking, fairing assembly, general inspection and testing and other tasks. The launch site completed the pre-launch system rehearsal, and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Beijing Flight Control Center, Xi'an Satellite Tracking and Control Center, Yuanwang measurement fleet and various mission tracking and control stations implemented joint debugging and control.
Does anyone modify launch time on title?
How did this mission go from 'officially approved' in 2023 to launch this year? Is this an incredibly fast development/build pace, or does 'approval' happen at a different step for CNSA vs NASA?
Launch pad platforms retracting: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5171438206060630
Liftoff at 17:31
2025 05/29 02:36:20来源：新华网Source: Xinhuanet新华社权威快报丨天问二号任务发射圆满成功Xinhua News Agency Authoritative Express丨Tianwen-2 mission launch was a complete success记者从国家航天局获悉，5月29日凌晨1时31分，我国在西昌卫星发射中心用长征三号乙运载火箭，成功将行星探测工程天问二号探测器发射升空。火箭飞行约18分钟后，将探测器送入地球至小行星2016HO3转移轨道。此后，探测器太阳翼正常展开，发射任务取得圆满成功。Reporters learned from the National Space Administration that at 1:31 a.m. on May 29, our country successfully launched the planetary exploration project Tianwen-2 probe with the Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. After about 18 minutes of flight, the rocket sent the probe into the transfer orbit of the Earth to the asteroid 2016HO3. After that, the probe's solar panels unfolded normally, and the launch mission was a complete success.天问二号主要任务目标是对小行星2016HO3进行探测、取样并返回地球，此后再对主带彗星311P开展科学探测。The main mission goal of Tianwen-2 is to detect, sample and return to Earth asteroid 2016HO3, and then conduct scientific exploration of the main belt comet 311P.
Did this go straight to solar orbit, or is it in an elliptical Earth orbit waiting to use spacecraft propulsion to reach escape velocity? - Ed Kyle
Pixel counting...
No pictures of the probe have been shared, [...]
Quote from: edkyle99 on 05/29/2025 01:16 pmDid this go straight to solar orbit, or is it in an elliptical Earth orbit waiting to use spacecraft propulsion to reach escape velocity? - Ed KyleYes it went straight to solar orbit, it was announced to be "first time the CZ-3B sent a spacecraft to escape trajectory" with a separation speed of 11.6 km/s relative to the earth.Source: Xinhua on Douyin https://v.douyin.com/fzy-G3MHcLM/--No pictures of the probe have been shared, however this more detailled render of it was (attached)Short CCTV documentary of the launch and its preparation:https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:5171656755445847?from=old_pc_videoshow
Quote from: TheKutKu on 05/29/2025 05:45 pmNo pictures of the probe have been shared, [...]https://postimg.cc/t7jq5QBW
