China launched a Mars probe on Thursday, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, and taking the first step in its planetary exploration of the solar system.
A Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle, carrying the spacecraft with a mass of about 5 tonnes, soared into the sky from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan at 12:41pm (Beijing Time).
About 36 minutes later, the spacecraft, including an orbiter and a rover, was sent into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, embarking on an almost seven-month journey to the red planet, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
China’s first Mars mission is named Tianwen-1, which means Questions to Heaven and comes from a poem written by ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC).
Tianwen-1 consists of an orbiter and a lander/rover duo, a combination of craft never before launched together to Mars. If successful, the approach would signify a technical breakthrough.
Tianwen-1 is expected to arrive at the Red Planet in February 2021, and the lander/rover will reach the surface about two months later.
The plan is for it to spend about 90 Martian days exploring its surroundings.
The orbiter will settle into a polar elliptical orbit that takes within 265km of the surface of Mars, and will relay information home.
Featured picture: China’s Tianwen-1 Mission blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan.
Credit: Xinhua News