China's Tianwen-2 probe is scheduled to launch on May 29, with a mission to unravel the mysteries of a near-Earth asteroid and a main belt comet, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Monday.
The Tianwen-2 probe will collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, which will be China's first-ever collection of samples from an asteroid, and explore the main belt comet 311P, the agency said.
A main belt comet is an object that resides in the main asteroid belt but which periodically displays a halo, or coma, and tail like a comet.
Mission preparations are progressing smoothly at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province and the fueling of the Long March-3B Y110 rocket, which will launch the probe in to space, is set to begin soon, the CNSA said.
The Tianwen-2 probe has already completed a series of planned procedures including assembly, testing, fueling, relocation, functional checks, and joint tests, the agency said.
The rocket, transferred from the technical area to the launch area on May 14, has completed docking operations, payload integration, fairing assembly, and overall inspection and testing, it said, adding that coordinated drills were also conducted between different control centers and monitoring sites.
"We are now in the final phase of the mission. This morning, we completed the pre-function checks before the regular propellant loading. Currently, both the satellite and the rocket are in good condition. All of our previous tests have undergone data analysis and interpretation, and the results meet all required standards," said Zhang Runhong from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
China to launch Tianwen-2 probe on May 29 for asteroid sampling
