XICHANG, May 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianwen-2 probe is scheduled for launch on May 29, aiming to unravel the mysteries of a near-Earth asteroid and a main-belt comet, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Monday.
The Tianwen-2 probe will collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, which marks China's first-ever asteroid sampling, and explore the main-belt comet 311P, the agency said.
Currently, all mission preparations are progressing smoothly at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province and propellant loading of the Long March-3B Y110 rocket, which will execute the launch mission, is set to begin soon, the CNSA said.
Previously, the Tianwen-2 probe had completed a series of planned procedures including assembly, testing, fueling, relocation, functional checks, and joint tests, it said.
The rocket, transferred from the technical area to the launch area on May 14, has completed docking operations, payload integration, fairing assembly, and overall inspection and testing, it said, adding that coordinated drills were also conducted among various control centers and monitoring sites.
