China releases images of Earth, moon captured by Tianwen-2 probe(1/2)

Photo released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows the Earth captured by the Tianwen-2 probe, July 1, 2025. (Photo/CNSA )

China launched its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen-2, on May 29, an endeavour to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system. So far, the Tianwen-2 probe has been operating smoothly in orbit for more than 33 days and is over 12 million kilometers away from the Earth.

The Tianwen-2 mission aims to achieve multiple goals over a decade-long expedition: collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and exploring the main-belt comet 311P, which is more distant than Mars.

Photo released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows the moon captured by the Tianwen-2 probe, July 1, 2025. (Photo/CNSA )