BEIJING — China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) on July 1 released stunning images of Earth and the Moon captured by the narrow-angle navigation sensor aboard the Tianwen-2 spacecraft while in orbit recently.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the spacecraft took photos of Earth from approximately 590,000 kilometers away and captured images of the Moon at a similar distance. The scientific research team processed and composed the images after receiving the data on the ground.
The Tianwen-2 probe has been orbiting in space for over 33 days, now more than 12 million kilometers away from Earth, and continues to operate smoothly.
China launched Tianwen-2 on May 29 for the country’s first mission to collect samples from an asteroid. The mission aims to study the formation and evolution of asteroids, as well as the early solar system.
The mission plans to achieve multiple goals during its decade-long journey, including collecting samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 and exploring comet 311P in the main asteroid belt, which lies beyond Mars. (TNA)
