CNSA - Tianwen-1 (天問-1) Mission to Mars logo.
May 14, 2021
Launched last July, the Tianwen-1 probe is to deposit a lander that will allow the “Zhurong” rover to come out to analyze the surface.
An image of the planet Mars taken last March by the Tianwen-1 probe. Image Credit: CNSA
China was preparing on Friday to attempt to land a small unmanned robot on the surface of Mars, a particularly delicate operation that testifies to Beijing's increasingly daring space ambitions. In the midst of diplomatic and technological rivalry with the United States, the Asian giant launched the "Tianwen-1" probe in July last year. The craft took seven months to cover the 55 million kilometers that separated it from the Red Planet, or 1,400 times around the world.
The probe, which arrived in Mars orbit in February, is made up of three components, including a lander that is expected to land in the next few hours. The module must allow a remote-controlled rover, "Zhurong" (the god of fire in Chinese mythology), to come out to analyze the surface. No specific schedule has been released from an official source. The Chinese space agency (CNSA) had simply mentioned a possible window between mid-May and mid-June.
Tianwen-1 (天問-1) Mars lander. Image Credit: CNSA
But speculation was alive on Friday after a prominent spaceflight specialist announced that the rover would land on Mars on Saturday morning. Ye Peijian, chief of the lunar exploration program, expects the module to land at 7:11 a.m. on Saturday Beijing time (1:11 a.m. CET), according to media reports reported Friday at a conference the day before.
"Zhurong" is supposed to be operational for three months. In the event of a successful landing, it should make it possible to study the environment of Mars and analyze the composition of the rocks.
Landing on the Red Planet is particularly complicated, and several European, Soviet and American missions have failed in the past. The "Tianwen-1" mission sent its first image of Mars in February: a black and white photo showing landforms like the Schiaparelli crater and the Valles Marineris canyon system.
CNSA Press Release: Tianwen-1 probe will land on Mars in next few days
http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6812000/content.html
Related articles:
New images of Mars from Tianwen-1
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/03/new-images-of-mars-from-tianwen-1.html
Tianwen-1 captures Mars in high-resolution images
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/03/tianwen-1-captures-mars-in-high.html
Tianwen-1 enters parking orbit around Mars
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/02/tianwen-1-enters-parking-orbit-around.html
Tianwen-1 Mars Orbit Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/02/tianwen-1-mars-orbit-insertion.html
China in turn (after UAE) begins its journey to Mars
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/07/china-in-turn-after-uae-begins-its.html
For more information about China National Space Administration (CNSA), visit: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: CNSA/AFP/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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