China releases 1st photo of Earth's elusive 'quasi-moon' Kamo'oalewa
China's Tianwen-2 probe has captured the first close-up image of the quasi-moon Kamo'oalewa, an asteroid orbiting near Earth. The mission aims to study the object for a year before attempting to collect and return surface samples to Earth.
Why it matters
This mission represents a significant milestone in China's space exploration capabilities and provides potential insights into the origins of the Earth-Moon system.
Missions Asteroid & Comet Missions China releases 1st photo of Earth's elusive 'quasi-moon' Kamo'oalewa News By Brett Tingley Published 7 July 2026 Some scientists believe the quasi-moon could have been created when a massive impact knocked a chunk of our own moon into space between 1 million and 10 million years ago.
The report is a technical summary of a space mission based on provided imagery and scientific context.
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