Chinese probe captures first photo of asteroid Kamo’oalewa, dubbed Earth's 'mini-moon'

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) published new images on Monday (the 6th) obtained by the Hayabusa2 probe during its flyby of the near-Earth asteroid Torifune. According to scientists, this celestial object has a shape resembling a 'snowman'.

Mission Objective and New Data

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft, comparable in size to a refrigerator, passed by the asteroid on Sunday (the 5th) as part of a mission aimed at demonstrating the ability to deflect potentially hazardous rocky bodies from Earth's trajectory. The new image presented by JAXA may contribute to future planetary defense strategies, as researchers note the wide variety of sizes, shapes, and surface characteristics of near-Earth asteroids.

Scientists' Comments

JAXA scientist Yuya Mimasu shared his impressions, telling journalists: 'The moment I truly saw this image and the scientific data... it really moved me.' He noted that the asteroid 'personally looked like a snowman.' The black-and-white image, taken by the probe's telescopic camera, shows two rounded objects connected to each other. Mimasu added: 'You can really see the rocks... I absolutely did not expect to take such a photograph, so I am over the moon.'

Testing Defense Technologies

This mission follows a successful test conducted by NASA in 2022, where a spacecraft intentionally altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos through impact. Although it was previously known that Torifune has an elongated shape, details of its structure remained unknown. Hayabusa2 traveled at a speed of over 18,000 km/h and was supposed to pass at a distance of about 800 meters from the asteroid. However, JAXA reported that it will further analyze the exact distance achieved during the flyby. If this value is confirmed, the mission could become one of the closest flybys of a near-Earth asteroid. The agency also reported that it managed to obtain data from three other scientific instruments capable of measuring the distance to the asteroid and investigating the presence of water.

Future Tasks of the Probe

JAXA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are jointly working on another planetary defense mission aimed at studying the asteroid Apophis, which will pass close to Earth in April 2029. Hayabusa2, launched in 2014, already attracted attention by landing on the asteroid Ryugu, located approximately 300 million kilometers from Earth, and collecting samples of its surface. Six years later, the probe returned to Earth with this material, allowing scientists to gain insights into the conditions of the Solar System during its early stages of formation, about 4.6 billion years ago. After the Torifune mission, in 2031, Hayabusa2 is scheduled to encounter asteroid 1998KY26. At this stage, the spacecraft will either fly past the celestial body or land on it to collect detailed scientific data.

The Chinese interplanetary station 'Tianwen-2' successfully arrived at the near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3, known as Kamolaev, on July 2, 2026. The station transmitted the first image of the object, taken from a distance of 20 kilometers.

Characteristics of the Kamolaev Asteroid

It was established that this Earth quasi-satellite has an angular and uneven shape, and its maximum size is about 30 meters. This makes Kamolaev the smallest asteroid visited by a spacecraft. It is planned that 'Tianwen-2' will study the asteroid in more detail, after which it will collect a soil sample from its surface and return it to Earth in mid-2027. Following this, the mission will continue by directing the spacecraft towards the Main Belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS.

Scientific Hypotheses on Composition

The nature of Kamolaev is still a subject of debate among planetary specialists. There are theories that the body could have been ejected from the surface of the Moon as a result of an impact event that formed the Giordano Bruno crater, or it could be a regular asteroid. Recent data obtained using the James Webb Telescope indicates a similarity between Kamolaev and rare class E asteroids, which are rich in enstatite and contain olivine, although final conclusions cannot yet be drawn. The telescope also confirmed that the object rotates very rapidly, with its rotational period around its axis being only 27.9 minutes.

NASA Lunar Exploration Program

In parallel, NASA announced an updated plan for the first phase of establishing a permanent lunar base under the Artemis program. Under this program, contracts were signed with Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop crewed rovers. The delivery of these rovers to the Moon's south pole will be carried out jointly with Blue Origin, and the contract with Firefly Aerospace provides for the delivery of MoonFall-type reconnaissance drones to the Moon.