China successfully launched its first Mars probe, named Tianwen-1, via a Long March-5 Y4 carrier rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China’s Hainan Province into planned orbit on Thursday. The move heralds a new era in China’s deep-space exploration, which has steadily progressed beyond moon probes to interplanetary missions, mission commanders and developers said.
After a flight of around 2,000 seconds, the probe entered the planned Earth-Mars transfer orbit, officially embarking on its journey to the Red Planet, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA)on Thursday.
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars probe is expected to reach Mars’ gravity field in February 2021, about seven months after the launch. If it succeeds, Tianwen-1 will be the first Mars expedition to complete orbiting, landing and roving in a single mission in humanity’s history.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1195391.shtml
Scientific goals of Tianwen 1
- Study Martian morphology & geology
- Study Martian topsoil & water ice distribution
- Study Mars’ surface composition
- Study Mars’ ionized atmospheric layer, surface climate & environment
- Study Mars’ physical field & interior structure
