[ad_1]
China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) is releasing mid-flight images of the Mars probe Tianwen-1 as the country’s National Day coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival on October 1, 2020. It is the first time that Tianwen-1 takes selfies. Photo: Xinhua
Kicking off an ambitious year in China’s aerospace development with more than 40 space launch missions planned, Tianwen-1, the country’s first-ever Mars probe, is expected to land in the Red Planet’s gravity field and perform a maneuver braking around February 10. one day before Chinese New Year’s Eve.
Tianwen-1 traveled more than 450 million kilometers on Wednesday, bringing it 170 million kilometers from Earth, according to the latest update from its developer, public space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
Flying into orbit 194 days after takeoff from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan Province on July 23, 2020, the spacecraft is expected to arrive in the gravitational field of Mars, perform a braking maneuver and enter Mars orbit around February 10.
It aims to land on the planet by mid-May 2021, where it will release the country’s first Martian rover to lead a fact-finding mission. A campaign to apply for a name for the rover, which has sparked excitement among tens of thousands of Chinese internet users on social media platforms, has been reduced to 10 applicants.
Currently, the probe is accelerating towards the Red Planet after completing several tasks including capturing a group photo of the Earth and the moon, a “self-portrait” in space, three mid-way corrections, maneuvers in deep space and a number of self-portrait -checks, according to the company.
Global Times
[ad_2]
Source link