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Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell scientists

  • Written by Mary Magnuson, Associate Science Editor
imageThe OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule contained rock from the asteroid Bennu.NASA/Keegan Barber

China’s Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission is set to launch this month, May 2025, en route to the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3). The country could join the United States and Japan, whose space agencies have both successfully retrieved a...

Read more: Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell...

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