> "The asteroid is a "quasi-satellite" of the Earth, meaning its orbit around the Sun closely matches that of our own planet. This keeps Kamoʻoalewa relatively close to Earth throughout the year, making it an attractive candidate for a sample return mission"
Also attractive targets for mining, for the same reasons. I wonder if that subtext is present.
edit: Indeed .cn news frames it as a mining precursor,
> "By returning with samples from Kamo'oalewa, Tianwen 2 will test the technologies involved in conducting round trips from asteroids, increasing hopes of mining from the Asteroid Belt in the not-so-near future."
> "... Relatively low-cost, such missions can provide a better understanding of the early stages of the solar system and lead the way to the assessment of space resources and their utilization, as well as the development of asteroid-strike defense strategies."
perihelions•1d ago
Also attractive targets for mining, for the same reasons. I wonder if that subtext is present.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/469219_Kamoʻoalewa#Quasi-satel...
edit: Indeed .cn news frames it as a mining precursor,
> "By returning with samples from Kamo'oalewa, Tianwen 2 will test the technologies involved in conducting round trips from asteroids, increasing hopes of mining from the Asteroid Belt in the not-so-near future."
> "... Relatively low-cost, such missions can provide a better understanding of the early stages of the solar system and lead the way to the assessment of space resources and their utilization, as well as the development of asteroid-strike defense strategies."
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202407/11/WS668f1986a31095c5...