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A lander is put through its hovering-and-obstacle avoidance paces in a test for China’s Mars mission at a test facility in Huailai, Hebei province, late last year. Photo: Reuters
ChinaScience

China readies to send space probe on Tianwen-1 mission to Mars

  • The lift-off date remains secret but China has previously said the summer offers ideal conditions
  • Despite pandemic disruptions, three international spacecraft expected to head for the red planet by the end of August
Space
Viola Zhou
Viola Zhou
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Beijing’s new Mars probe has arrived at a launch centre in southern China, and is being prepared to be sent to the red planet, state media reported.

The space mission Tianwen-1, which means “heavenly questions” in Chinese, aims to travel to Mars and examine the surface of the planet.

The spacecraft has arrived at the Wenchang launch centre in the island province of Hainan, China News Service reported on Tuesday, citing the state-run China Academy of Space Technology, which developed the probe.

The Chinese government is looking to its Mars mission to show the country’s progress in becoming a major space power. A successful landing would make China the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to operate a spacecraft on Mars.
A lander is lifted during a test in 2019. The Tianwen-1 exploration mission comprises an orbiter and a rover. Photo: AP
The exact launch date has not been released. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) previously said the probe would be launched some time in July.

The Mars exploration craft include an orbiter and a rover. After making a soft landing, the rover will explore the surface of Mars while communicating with Earth with the help of the orbiter, according to CASC.

Beijing’s first attempt to reach Mars failed in 2012, when its Yinghuo-1 Mars orbiter fell back to Earth after being carried on a Russian spacecraft.

Tianwen-1 will ride on China's own Long March 5 rocket. Zhao Xiaojin, an official with CASC, said in May that the new Mars mission would help cut the gap between China and the United States, Russia and Europe in deep space exploration technology.

It will be a key symbol in China’s path to become a strong space power, he was quoted as saying in a social media post by CASC.

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The Chinese government has said it plans to carry out more exploration missions to Mars, asteroids and the Jovian system in around 2030.

This summer is an ideal time for Mars missions, as Earth and Mars orbit to form a favourable line-up allowing the shortest spacecraft travel time, a formation that occurs about once every two years.

Despite the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, three Mars missions are expected to be launched in the coming month.

Nasa, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, plans to launch its Perseverance rover between July 30 and August 15. It will land at Jezero Crater, a giant basin described by scientists as a promising place to find signs of microbial life.

The United Arab Emirates is launching its first Mars mission from a site in Japan. It was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but has been postponed to July 17 because of weather conditions.

Europe and Russia's ExoMars mission originally planned for July or August this year has been delayed until 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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