When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.A photo of Kamo’oalewa, asteroid 2016HO3, taken by China’s Tianwen-2 probe from a distance of about 12 miles (20 kilometers) on July 2, 2026. | Credit: CNSA/Handout via XinhuaChina’s first-ever asteroid sampling mission has sent home a picture of its first target, the “quasi-moon” Kamo’oalewa.The Tianwen-2 probe launched in 2025 and traveled 620 million miles (1 billion kilometers) to reach a safe distance about 12 miles (20 km) away from Kamo’oalewa, more formally known as asteroid 2016HO3. The spacecraft will spend nearly a year studying the asteroid with a suite of 11 different scientific instruments before attempting to collect a sample from its surface, which will be sent back to Earth.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe new photo was taken on July 2, according to
