Dynamical Origin of (469219) Kamo`oalewa of Tianwen-2 Mission from the Main-Belt: $ν_6$ Secular Resonance, Flora Family or 3:1 Resonance with Jupiter
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866917365376090112 |
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| author | Wang, Yandong Hu, Shoucun Ji, Jianghui Ying, Jiajun |
| author_facet | Wang, Yandong Hu, Shoucun Ji, Jianghui Ying, Jiajun |
| contents | China's Tianwen-2 mission, launched on 29 May 2025, targets the near-Earth object (469219) Kamo`oalewa, an Earth quasi-satellite trapped in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with our planet. Determining the origin of Kamo`oalewa is central to understanding the formation pathways and dynamical evolution of Earth's quasi-satellite population. Here we show a strong possibility of main-belt origin for Kamo`oalewa using long-term dynamical simulations. We examine three candidate source regions: the $ν_6$ secular resonance ($ν_6$), the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter (3:1J MMR), and the Flora family. A total of 42,825 test particles were integrated over 100 Myr. We find that asteroids from all three regions can be transported onto Kamo`oalewa-like orbits, albeit with markedly different efficiencies. Particles originating near the $ν_6$ show the highest transfer probability (3.31%), followed by the Flora family (2.54%) and the 3:1J MMR (0.39%). We further identify representative dynamical pathways linking these source regions to Earth quasi-satellite orbits. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft is expected to rendezvous with Kamo`oalewa in 2026, performing close-proximity operations and returning samples. The mission will provide decisive observational constraints on the asteroid's composition and physical properties, offering a critical test of its proposed origin. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_13585 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Dynamical Origin of (469219) Kamo`oalewa of Tianwen-2 Mission from the Main-Belt: $ν_6$ Secular Resonance, Flora Family or 3:1 Resonance with Jupiter Wang, Yandong Hu, Shoucun Ji, Jianghui Ying, Jiajun Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Space Physics China's Tianwen-2 mission, launched on 29 May 2025, targets the near-Earth object (469219) Kamo`oalewa, an Earth quasi-satellite trapped in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with our planet. Determining the origin of Kamo`oalewa is central to understanding the formation pathways and dynamical evolution of Earth's quasi-satellite population. Here we show a strong possibility of main-belt origin for Kamo`oalewa using long-term dynamical simulations. We examine three candidate source regions: the $ν_6$ secular resonance ($ν_6$), the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter (3:1J MMR), and the Flora family. A total of 42,825 test particles were integrated over 100 Myr. We find that asteroids from all three regions can be transported onto Kamo`oalewa-like orbits, albeit with markedly different efficiencies. Particles originating near the $ν_6$ show the highest transfer probability (3.31%), followed by the Flora family (2.54%) and the 3:1J MMR (0.39%). We further identify representative dynamical pathways linking these source regions to Earth quasi-satellite orbits. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft is expected to rendezvous with Kamo`oalewa in 2026, performing close-proximity operations and returning samples. The mission will provide decisive observational constraints on the asteroid's composition and physical properties, offering a critical test of its proposed origin. |
| title | Dynamical Origin of (469219) Kamo`oalewa of Tianwen-2 Mission from the Main-Belt: $ν_6$ Secular Resonance, Flora Family or 3:1 Resonance with Jupiter |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Space Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.13585 |