🚀 Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) | 🛰 Tianwen-2
Launch date: May 28, 2025 17:31 UTC
Payload: Tianwen-2
Location: Launch Complex 2 (LC-2), Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), China
Vehicle: Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E)
China successfully launched the Tianwen-2 mission aboard a Chang Zheng 3B/E (Long March 3B/E) rocket from Launch Complex 2 at Xichang Satellite Launch Center on May 28, 2025, at 17:31 UTC. This landmark mission—China’s first asteroid sample-return and the 168th CZ-3B/E flight—will rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo‘oalewa (2016 HO3), conduct close observations, and collect and return up to 1,000g of samples using touch-and-go and anchor-drilling methods by 2027. Following the sample return, the spacecraft will use Earth’s gravity for a slingshot maneuver to reach comet 311P/PANSTARRS for a flyby around 2035. The mission is designed to study the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system, carrying eight scientific instruments and a sample return capsule. CASC confirmed mission success soon after launch. This marks the first time the Long March 3B series has been used for a launch to escape Earth’s orbit and highlights a significant step in China’s planetary exploration program and international scientific collaboration.
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Launch Complex 2, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) is one of the two principal orbital launch pads at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in Sichuan Province, China. Commissioned in the late 1980s to meet China’s expanding space ambitions, LC-2 has played a critical role in launching a significant portion of China’s communications, navigation, and meteorological satellites using various Long March launch vehicles—including the Long March 2C, 3B, and 3B/E.
Xichang’s LC-2 has hosted several high-profile missions and is particularly important for launches intended for geostationary transfer orbits, including the deployment of Beidou navigation satellites. It is operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), reflecting its pivotal role in the country’s space program development and international satellite launch services.