Chinese space probe returns first image of Mars

China’s Tianwen-1 probe returned its first image of Mars, the national space agency said, as the mission prepares to land on the Red Planet later this year.

The spacecraft, launched in July around the same time as a rival US mission, is expected to enter orbit on Mars around February 10.

The black-and-white photo released Friday night by China’s National Space Administration showed geological features, including the Schiaparelli Crater and the Valles Marineris, a vast expanse of canyons on the Martian surface.

The photo was taken about 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Mars, according to the CNSA, which said the spacecraft was now 1.1 million kilometers from the planet.

The robotic device fired one of its engines to “perform orbital correction” on Friday and is expected to slow down before being “captured by Martian gravity” around February 10, the agency said.

The five-ton Tianwen-1 includes a Mars orbiter, lander, and rover that will study the planet’s soil.

China ultimately hopes to land the rover in May in Utopia, a massive impact basin on Mars.

After seeing the United States and the Soviet Union lead the way during the Cold War, China has invested billions of dollars in its military-led space program.

It has made huge strides in the past decade, sending a human into space in 2003.

The Asian power plant has laid the groundwork to assemble a space station by 2022 and permanently gain a foothold in Earth orbit.

But Mars has proven to be a tough target so far, with most missions sent by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and India to the planet since 1960 having failed.

Tianwen-1 is not China’s first attempt to reach Mars.

A previous mission with Russia in 2011 ended prematurely because the launch failed.

China has already sent two rovers to the moon. With the second, China became the first country to achieve a soft landing on the other side.

All systems on the Tianwen-1 probe are in “good condition,” CNSA said Friday.

© 2021 AFP