It is thought to have formed around ancient stars near the centre of the Milky Way and may be older than the solar system itself, offering rare insight into the composition and evolution of exoplanetary material.
The Tianwen-1 team began preparing for the observation in early September this year. With ATLAS moving at about 58 kilometres per second and appearing 10,000 to 100,000 times dimmer than the Martian surface, the mission faced an extreme technical challenge in image targeting and stability.
Originally designed for Mars surface observation, Tianwen-1 has been orbiting the planet since February 2021.
The successful observation of ATLAS marks an extension of the probe’s mission, serving as a test for China’s upcoming Tianwen-2 asteroid mission.