Tianwen-2 Kamo'oalewa Sample Collection
Tianwen-2 will rendezvous with Kamo'oalewa and collect samples from the asteroid, which will later be returned to Earth. Unconfirmed mission timeline, target may differ from July 2026.
Kamo'oalewa Asteroid
Tianwen-2 Asteroid Sample Capsule Re-entry
Tianwen-2 will separate a capsule containing samples collected from asteroid Kamo'oalewa, which will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and be collected. Unconfirmed mission timeline, target may differ from November 2027.
Earth
Lucy Leucus Flyby
NASA's Lucy spacecraft will fly by the Jupiter Trojan 11351 Leucus, an exceptionally slowly rotating asteroid with a rotation period of 466 hours. Lucy will approach the asteroid to a distance of 1,000 km (620 mi) at a relative velocity of 5.9 km/s (~13,200 mph).
Psyche Arrival at Asteroid Psyche
Asteroid Psyche’s gravity will capture the spacecraft in late July 2029, and Psyche will begin its mission in August. It will spend about two years orbiting the asteroid to take pictures, map the surface, and collect data to determine Psyche’s composition.
Hayabusa2 1998 KY26 Rendezvous
Hayabusa2 will rendezvous with 1998 KY26, making the asteroid the smallest to be studied by a spacecraft at only around 30 meters (~100 ft) in diameter. 1998 KY26 will also be the first fast rotator asteroid to be studied by a spacecraft, with a rotational period of 10.7 minutes.
Lucy Patroclus & Menoetius Flyby
NASA's Lucy spacecraft will fly by the binary asteroid pair Patroclus and Menoetius. Both asteroids are similarly sized and are some of the largest Trojan asteroids. Lucy will approach the asteroids to a distance of 1000 km (620 mi) at a relative velocity of 8.8 km/s (~19,700 mph).
Juice Ganymede Arrival
ESA's Juice spacecraft will perform a braking burn to enter an orbit around Ganymede. While orbiting, the spacecraft will study Ganymede's unique magnetosphere, as well as the atmosphere, surface, subsurface, interior, and internal ocean of the Jovian moon.
Tianwen-2 Arrival at 311P/PanSTARRS
Tianwen-2 will enter an orbit around and begin studying 311P/PanSTARRS, an object with an asteroid-like orbit but with comet-like visual characteristics. Unconfirmed mission timeline, target may differ from January 2035.
311P/PanSTARRS