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Space
ChinaScience

China readies to send space probe on Tianwen-1 mission to Mars

  • The lift-off date remains secret but China has previously said the summer offers ideal conditions
  • Despite pandemic disruptions, three international spacecraft expected to head for the red planet by the end of August

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A lander is put through its hovering-and-obstacle avoidance paces in a test for China’s Mars mission at a test facility in Huailai, Hebei province, late last year. Photo: Reuters
Viola Zhou

Beijing’s new Mars probe has arrived at a launch centre in southern China, and is being prepared to be sent to the red planet, state media reported.

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The space mission Tianwen-1, which means “heavenly questions” in Chinese, aims to travel to Mars and examine the surface of the planet.

The spacecraft has arrived at the Wenchang launch centre in the island province of Hainan, China News Service reported on Tuesday, citing the state-run China Academy of Space Technology, which developed the probe.

The Chinese government is looking to its Mars mission to show the country’s progress in becoming a major space power. A successful landing would make China the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to operate a spacecraft on Mars.
A lander is lifted during a test in 2019. The Tianwen-1 exploration mission comprises an orbiter and a rover. Photo: AP
A lander is lifted during a test in 2019. The Tianwen-1 exploration mission comprises an orbiter and a rover. Photo: AP
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The exact launch date has not been released. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) previously said the probe would be launched some time in July.
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