China is about to begin one of the most unusual asteroid exploration missions ever attempted. In early July, the Tianwen-2 spacecraft is expected to arrive at a Statue of Liberty-sized near-Earth asteroid often described as Earth’s “mini-moon.” If it arrives safely, it will take a sample and send it back to Earth in a capsule.
China’s Tianwen-2 has arrived at Kamoʻoalewa, a tiny quasi-satellite of Earth, beginning a mission to collect samples and test its lunar origins.
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Discovered in 2016 and also known as 2016 HO3, 469219 Kamoʻoalewa is one of only a handful of known quasi-satellites.
Measuring just 130 to 330 feet (40 to 100 meters) across — roughly the size of the Statue of Liberty — it could become the smallest asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft.
Kamoʻoalewa’s name is Hawaiian and means “an oscillating celestial object.” It orbits the sun, but is gravitationally synchronized with Earth, making it appear to orbit our planet over long periods — like our moon.
Planetary scientists are interested in Kamoʻoalewa because it may not be an ordinary asteroid. Studies of the light reflected from it suggest that it closely resembles lunar rocks collected during the Apollo missions. Some researchers think it could be a fragment of the moon blasted into space by a large impact millions of years ago. If that theory is correct, Tianwen-2 could effectively be visiting a long-lost piece of Earth’s natural satellite.
Launched on May 28, 2025, Tianwen-2 is China’s first asteroid sample-return mission and part of the country’s expanding deep-space exploration program. After arriving at Kamoʻoalewa, the spacecraft will spend several months conducting remote sensing observations, mapping the asteroid and identifying potential sampling sites. Mission planners intend to use a combination of touch-and-go maneuvers and a more ambitious anchoring system equipped with drills to collect between 20 and 100 grams of material.
Tianwen-2 is scheduled to leave Kamoʻoalewa in April 2027 and return a sample capsule to Earth later that year. It should land in November 2027, allowing scientists to get their hands on what could be fragments of the early solar system. After releasing the capsule, Tianwen-2 will use Earth’s gravity to redirect itself toward a second target: the main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS, also known as P/2013 P5 (PanSTARRS), which NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope imaged in 2013. Tianwen-2 is expected to arrive there around 2035.
Unlike most asteroids, Earth’s quasi-satellites stay close to Earth for long periods. That makes them relatively easy to visit. For example, Kamoʻoalewa orbits the sun in a 1:1 orbital resonance with Earth, completing one orbit for every orbit Earth makes. That creates the illusion that it circles Earth, but it also makes it a potential target for future robotic missions — such as asteroid mining for water ice and platinum-group metals. According to research published in 2025 by Spherical Insights & Consulting, the global space and asteroid mining market could reach $16 billion by 2035.
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