Tianwen-2 small bodies exploration mission
Abstract
<p indent="0mm">Small bodies exploration in the solar system has emerged as a frontier in contemporary deep-space exploration. The Tianwen-2 small bodies exploration mission, as an important part of China’s planetary exploration program, represents a groundbreaking endeavor to probe uncharted territories of the solar system. Here, we systematically reviewed the development history, major scientific issues, and engineering characteristics of the international asteroid exploration, and focused on the engineering objectives, scientific goals, payload configuration, flight plan, and key technologies of the Tianwen-2 mission. Detailed designs were provided for the proximity investigation and sampling plan of the asteroid 2016 HO<sub>3</sub>, and the achieving feasibility of scientific objectives was analyzed. The Tianwen-2 mission will execute a dual-objective exploration in a single flight: conducting rendezvous and proximity observation of the near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO<sub>3</sub> followed by sample return, and performing rendezvous exploration of main-belt comet 311P. This mission is expected to make breakthroughs in engineering technology, and promote the development in both planetary exploration capabilities and planetary science.</p>
