China Launches First Mars Probe 'Tianwen-1'... US Scheduled to Launch Next Month (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] China's first Mars probe, "Tianwen-1," was launched, marking the official start of China's Mars exploration, known as part of the Chinese government's "space rise" project. With this launch, China plans to carry out missions including Mars orbiting, landing, and exploration. If successful, China is expected to become the third country in the world, after the United States and Russia, to successfully land on Mars. The U.S. Mars probe is expected to be launched next month.

On the 23rd, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that at 12:41 PM local time, the first Mars probe Tianwen-1 was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan. Tianwen-1 was carried by China's largest carrier rocket, the Long March 5. China plans to simultaneously perform missions from Mars orbiting to landing and exploration with this launch. If Tianwen-1 operates smoothly as planned, it is expected to arrive at Mars around February next year. Upon arrival, the orbiter, lander, and surface exploration robot rover will conduct comprehensive exploration of Mars. After landing, the rover will communicate with Earth and explore the Martian surface with the help of the orbiter.

The Mars rover Perseverance of NASA, scheduled to launch next month [Image source: www.nasa.gov]

So far, only the United States and Russia have succeeded in landing on Mars. If Tianwen-1's Mars exploration mission succeeds, China is expected to be officially recognized as a space power. Previously, China attempted to launch its first Mars probe in 2011 but failed. The orbiter Yinghuo-1, which was carried along with a Russian probe, failed to leave Earth's orbit and crashed.

This summer marks the period when the distance between Earth and Mars is the shortest at 55 million kilometers, with the two planets approaching each other every 26 months. Accordingly, on the 20th, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its Mars probe "Hope," followed by China's Tianwen-1, and next month, NASA's Perseverance Mars probe is scheduled to be launched. The U.S. Perseverance probe was originally scheduled for launch on the 17th of this month but was postponed three times and is now planned to be launched between the end of this month and August 15.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.