China's Tianwen-2 mission probe arrived at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on February 20,mk according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The mission will carry out several tasks in a single launch, including a flyby of asteroid 2016 HO3, sample collection, return and main-belt comet 311P flyby exploration.

The launch facility is currently in good condition, and preparations for pre-launch tests are proceeding according to schedule. The launch is planned in the first half of this year, Global Times learned from the CNSA on Thursday.

Asteroid 2016 HO3, known as "Earth's quasi-satellite," orbits near the planet's orbit and has a revolution period similar to Earth's. It retains primitive information from the early solar system, making it a "living fossil" for studying the system's composition, formation process and evolutionary history. It holds immense scientific value, said the CNSA in a statement on Thursday.

Main-belt comet 311P is a small celestial body located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It possesses characteristics of both traditional comets and asteroids, read the statement. 

Studying comet 311P will help scientists understand the material composition, structure, and evolution mechanisms of small celestial bodies, filling a gap in the field of small body research in the solar system, the CNSA said.