Dynamical Origin of (469219) Kamo‘oalewa of Tianwen-2 Mission from the Main Belt: <i>ν</i> ₆ Secular Resonance, Flora Family or 3:1 Resonance with Jupiter

Abstract China’s Tianwen-2 mission, launched on 2025 May 29, targets the near-Earth object (NEO) (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 Kamo‘oalewa-like 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.