Tianwen-1 Soars from China to Mars - The Cosmic Companion Feb. 12, 2021
All eyes are on Mars, as the second of two new Martian spacecraft arrive at the Red Planet.
The Tianwen-1 mission from China arrives at Mars with an orbiter, lander, and rover. And, this is just the second of three new spacecraft arriving at the Red Planet.
By James Maynard
Following an interplanetary journey lasting 203 days, the Tianwen-1 spacecraft reached its target — an orbit around Mars — on February 10. This flight makes China just the sixth entity to reach the Red Planet following The United States, the Soviet Union, ESA, India, and the United Arab Emirates (who recently arrived at Mars on February 9 with the Mars Hope Probe).
Details of space programs from China are not as forthcoming as those from other nations. However, it is expected that in May or June, a lander-rover from Tainwen-1 will land on the Martian surface, likely in Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere of the Red Planet.
This region was the site where NASA’s Viking landers touched down in the 1970’s. In the Star Trek Universe, it is home to vast construction yards, assembling a myriad of spacecraft to explore the heavens.
Read more: https://thecosmiccompanion.net/tianwen-1-soars-from-china-to-mars
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