China's Tianwen-2 probe approaches asteroid 2016H03

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China's Tianwen-2 probe has closed to within 20,000 km of asteroid 2016H03 after a roughly 400-day, more than 1 billion-kilometre journey since its May 29, 2025 launch, the Chinese state space administration said. The probe has already taken images and is now close enough to begin detailed investigations of the asteroid's morphology, material composition and internal structure, with a view to sampling at a later date. The proximity enables immediate scientific measurements and imaging, and it sets up follow-on operations aimed at later sample collection that could yield new data about small bodies.

Tianwen-2 is within 20,000 km of asteroid 2016H03.