Tianwen-2 Nears Kamoʻoalewa Saturday: Is Earth's Quasi-Moon a Lunar Shard?

Tianwen-2 asteroid mission closes to within 20 kilometers of Kamoʻoalewa on July 4, 2026 — China's first sample-return probe will attempt to collect rock from Earth's fast-spinning quasi-moon and settle a five-year scientific debate over whether the 40-to-100-meter asteroid is a lunar fragment or a space-weathered visitor from the main asteroid belt.