[2] It will use solar electric propulsion to explore the co-orbital near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS.
[8][9] The spacecraft will rendezvous with Kamoʻoalewa and conduct remote sensing observations in orbit, before landing on the asteroid to collect a sample of 100 g (3.5 oz) of regolith.
[1][7] A nano-orbiter and nano-lander will be deployed to conduct remote sensing and sampling observations, and explosives will be used to expose potential subsurface volatiles for detection.
[3] The spacecraft will use both anchor-and-attach and touch-and-go methods to attempt collection of a sample from the asteroid.
[7][12] The original name of this mission referenced the 15th century Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He.