Xichang: China successfully launched its first mission to retrieve samples from a nearby asteroid, state media reported. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft lifted off atop a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, the Global Times reported. The Tianwen-2 probe successfully deployed its solar panels and entered its designated orbit approximately 18 minutes after launch, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

According to Anadolu Agency, the Tianwen missions are a series of robotic interstellar explorations launched by CNSA to explore the solar system. The name Tianwen translates to "heavenly questions" or "questions to heaven." China's previous Tianwen-1 Mars probe mission, launched in July 2020, successfully achieved all designated goals, including orbiting, landing, and deploying a rover to survey the Martian surface in a single mission.

The current Tianwen-2 mission aims to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and explore the main-belt comet 311P, as stated by the CNSA. Liu Jianjun, deputy chief designer of the Tianwen-2 mission, highlighted the scientific significance of asteroid exploration. He emphasized that studying asteroids, which were formed around 4.5 billion years ago in the early solar system, can provide crucial insights into understanding Earth and its evolution.