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Space
Space
Science
Andrew Jones

China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe captures images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, imaged from Mars orbit by China's Tianwen 1 spacecraft on Oct. 3, 2025.

China's Tianwen 1 Mars orbiter has imaged the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during its close pass by the Red Planet, aiding global efforts to study the rare interstellar interloper.

3I/ATLAS is only the third object ever confirmed to have reached our solar system after originating in another planetary system, following 'Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. This time, space agencies around the world have been looking at any and all ways to study the invading comet, including repurposing spacecraft spread across the solar system.

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