Dynamical Origin of (469219) Kamo`oalewa of Tianwen-2 Mission from the Main-Belt: ${\nu }_6$ Secular Resonance, Flora Family or 3:1 Resonance with Jupiter

Abstract

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 ${\nu }_6$ secular resonance (${\nu }_6$), 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 ${\nu }_6$ 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.

13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics

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