Tianwen 1 Enters MARS Orbit
A Chinese spacecraft named Tianwen 1 successfully entered Mars orbit on 10 February 2021.
This mission is China’s first independent mission to Mars. It is also called the Mars Mission of China.
Objective of Mission:
- The mission has been launched by ‘Long March-5’ rocket from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site at 12:40 pm local time in China.
- This mission is being called ‘Tianwen-1’ or ‘Question to Heaven’.
- The Chinese Mars mission includes orbiting, landing and roving of the planet.
- Tianwen-1 will attempt to send a landing capsule carrying a 240-kilogram rover. This rover will be sent to the northern hemisphere of Mars called Utopia Planitia.
- After successfully landing this rover this solar powered rover will search the surface of Mars for 90 days.
- This rover will study the soil and will also discover the signs of life in ancient times.
Key points:
- After traveling for 6 and half months from Earth, this probe entered the orbit of Mars.
- China launched its first rocket Tianwen-1 for Mars in the month of July last year.
- With this, China joined the group of countries sending their rover to Mars.
- At present, China is not the only country that is trying to reach Mars. Just a few days ago, The United Arab Emirates launched its own independent Mars Orbiter, which will be orbiting Mars.
- At the same time, the US space agency NASA is preparing to launch its “Perseverance” rover.
Source – The Hindu
