China's Tianwen 2 probe, atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket, lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province on May 29, 2025.

Students and faculty from Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) have recently contributed to the successful launch of the Tianwen 2 probe for planetary exploration on May 29.

The Tianwen 2, which was launched from a Long March 3B Y110 carrier rocket, is the core probe of China's asteroid exploration project. As the cutting-edge probe of China's asteroid exploration project, it integrates multiple internationally leading technologies. With innovative features such as high-precision autonomous navigation and multi-arm mechanical sampling, it will help expand knowledge about small celestial bodies in the solar system and promote the leapfrog development of deep space exploration technology.

China's Tianwen 2 probe, atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket, lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province on May 29, 2025.

The BIT team has not only achieved breakthroughs in key technologies and theoretical methods for autonomous navigation and attachment to small celestial bodies, providing vital support for guidance and control systems, but also developed a simulation analysis system for navigation and guidance on small celestial bodies, used in the design, evaluation, and validation of navigation schemes.

The BIT team was also responsible for conducting longevity verification tests for pyrotechnic devices, laying the theoretical foundation for the development of Tianwen 2. They are also involved in the aerodynamic and thermal load analysis of the reentry process of the return capsule, providing essential basis for the design.

These efforts and contributions make the BIT's team an indispensable driving force for the success of the Tianwen 2 mission.

More than 20 BIT students were present at the launch site on May 29 to witness the Tianwen 2's lift off.

Generation after generation of BIT students will continue to inherit the red genes, rooting themselves in this land, bravely climbing the peak of aerospace technology to contribute BIT strength to the construction of a strong aerospace nation.