China’s Asteroid Hunter Closes In on Target After 400 Day Trip, Though Size Is a Surprise The latest milestone in China's asteroid hunting endeavors has brought an intriguing twist: a target that's turned out smaller than expected.
The Tianwen 2 spacecraft, which embarked on its 400 day journey nearly two years ago, is closing in on the 2016 HO3 asteroid, also known as Kamo‘oalewa.
This Apollo type near Earth asteroid had been estimated to be around 40 to 100 meters in diameter, but new images suggest it's likely less than 40 meters across.