China’s first Mars mission Tianwen-1 expected to reach red planet orbit next month
- Probe has travelled more than 400 million km so far and is likely to touch down in May, space agency says
- It has carried out three orbital corrections as well as equipment tests and remains in good condition
According to the space agency, Tianwen-1 has so far carried out three orbital corrections as well as equipment tests. It said the probe remained in good condition as it continued on its journey to Mars – still 8.3 million km away.
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If it successfully reaches the red planet’s orbit next month as scheduled, it will be 190 million km from Earth and will have travelled more than 500 million km to get there.
It is due to land on Mars in May and will release a rover for scientific exploration that is expected to operate for about 90 Martian days, which are slightly longer than their equivalent on Earth.
Tianwen-1, which translates as “Heavenly Questions”, is named after a work by one of China’s greatest poets, Qu Yuan (340–278BC).
