Mission type | Asteroid sample return Comet orbiter/lander |
---|---|
Operator | CNSA |
Mission duration | 10 years (planned) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | CAST |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 2024 |
Rocket | Long March 3B[1] |
Launch site | Xichang[2] |
Contractor | CASC |
469219 Kamoʻoalewa orbiter | |
Sample mass | 0.2–1.0 kg (0.4–2.2 lb) |
133P/Elst–Pizarro orbiter | |
Orbital insertion | 2032[3] |
ZhengHe is a proposed asteroid sample-return and comet exploration mission by China.
Planned for launch around 2024, ZhengHe will use solar electric propulsion to explore the co-orbital near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and the main-belt comet 133P/Elst–Pizarro.[4][5] The spacecraft will rendezvous with Kamoʻoalewa and conduct remote sensing observations in orbit, before landing on the asteroid to collect a sample of up to 1 kg (2.2 lb) of regolith.[1] A nano-orbiter and nano-lander will be deployed to conduct remote sensing and sampling observations, and explosives will be used to expose potential subsurface volatiles for detection.[2] ZhengHe will then return to Earth to drop off a return capsule containing the sample and conduct a gravity assist maneuver to propel the spacecraft toward Mars, where a second gravity assist will be performed to direct it to 133P/Elst–Pizarro.[6] A flyby of an unnamed asteroid may also be attempted en route to 133P/Elst–Pizarro.[2] Remote sensing and in-situ measurements will be conducted at 133P/Elst–Pizarro for at least one year.[1]
In 2018, a deep space exploration roadmap covering the 2020–2030 timeframe was proposed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences,[7] which included an asteroid exploration mission planned for launch around 2022 or 2024.[8][9] In spring 2019, after a design study for the mission was carried out by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the CNSA began soliciting international proposals for scientific instruments to be carried on ZhengHe.[1][4][6]
ZhengHe will incorporate several types of instruments, including wide/narrow angle multispectral and color cameras, a thermal emission spectrometer, a visible/near-infrared imaging spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, a magnetometer, and a charged/neutral particle and dust analyzer.[1][6] International contributions to these payloads are being encouraged.
The United Kingdom is considering a proposal for a penetrator to deliver a mass spectrometer to probe the subsurface ice of 133P/Elst–Pizarro.[3]