China successfully launched its Tianwen-2 spacecraft early Wednesday, marking its first mission to collect asteroid samples. The probe lifted off at 1:31 a.m. local time aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Xinhua reported.

Tianwen-2 is headed to Kamoʻoalewa, a near-Earth asteroid about 10 million miles away. It is expected to arrive by July 2026, collect samples, and return them to Earth in November 2027.

Kamoʻoalewa, a small quasi-satellite of Earth, is estimated to be 40 to 100 meters in size. If successful, China will become the third country to return asteroid samples, after Japan and the US, according to Xinhua.

The mission reflects China’s expanding space program and long-term goal of crewed lunar exploration.