From space back home - China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft has successfully sent back the first images of the Earth and the Moon from a distance of nearly 600,000 kilometres. Scientists report: the mission is going well, a decade of space adventure has begun.

The China National Space Agency (CNSA) has released unique photos taken by the spacecraft's navigation sensor 30. května 2025when Tianwen-2 passed the area between the Earth and the Moon. Both images were taken at a distance of approximately 590,000 km and confirm the excellent condition of the instruments on board.

The Tianwen-2 mission has been launched 29. května 2025 and current data indicates that the spacecraft is already over 12 million kilometres from Earth. The probe is designed to take samples from of the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 a později zkoumat main-belt comet 311Pwhich is further away than Mars.

The aim is to gain new knowledge about the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system. Tianwen-2 is part of an ambitious 10-year programme to consolidate China's position as a leading player in space exploration.

Scientists are now analysing the images and telemetry data to plan the next steps in this historic mission.

CMG