US and China exchange data on their Mars missions

Nasa and its Chinese counterpart have exchanged information on their Mars missions to prevent their spacecraft from colliding, despite heightened geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

Nasa had sought approval from Congress and talked with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) about the Tianwen-1, the Chinese Mars mission, the US space agency confirmed in a statement on Monday.

Nasa has been prohibited by law since 2011 through what is known as the Wolf clause from cooperating and collaborating with China unless congressional approval is granted case by case. Nasa must notify Congress at least 30 days in advance of any proposed contact.

Nasa’s statement coincided with China’s opening on Wednesday of its Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, to foreign astronomers. FAST, located in a remote part of the southern province of Guizhou, is the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope and the only observatory of its kind after the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico collapsed in December due to lack of maintenance.

Nasa acting administrator Steve Jurczyk said last week that the CNSA had shared orbital data and information on the position and velocity of Tianwen-1 to avoid collisions.

The agency also contacted other space agencies with spacecraft orbiting Mars, it said.

“To assure the safety of our respective missions, Nasa is coordinating with the UAE, European Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation and the China National Space Administration, all of which have spacecraft in orbit around Mars, to exchange information on our respective Mars missions to ensure the safety of our respective spacecraft,” Nasa said.