If all goes well, Tianwen-1 will look for underground water, signs of ancient life
A Long March-5 rocket, carrying an orbiter, lander and rover as part of the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars, lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan Province on July 23, 2020.China launched its most ambitious Mars mission yet on Thursday in a bold attempt to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet.
China’s tandem spacecraft – with both an orbiter and a rover – will take seven months to reach Mars, like the others. If all goes well, Tianwen-1, or “quest for heavenly truth,” will look for underground water, if it’s present, as well as evidence of possible ancient life. China’s secretive space program has developed rapidly in recent decades. Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut in 2003, and last year, Chang’e-4 became the first spacecraft from any country to land on the far side of the moon.“There is a whole lot of prestige riding on this,” said Dean Cheng, an expert on Chinese aerospace programs at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.Landing on Mars is notoriously difficult. Only the U.S.
The landing would then be attempted in April or May, according to the article. If all goes well, the 240-kilogram golf cart-sized, solar-powered rover is expected to operate for about three months, and the orbiter for two years. “At no other time in our history have we seen anything like what is unfolding with these three unique missions to Mars. Each of them is a science and engineering marvel,” the Space Foundation’s chief executive officer Thomas Zelibor said in an online panel discussion earlier this week.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Patience is a virtue’: Canadian businessman in China hopes to be reunited with separated family soonKept on opposite sides of the Pacific since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted governments around the world to close borders and cancel flights, Bruce Rosen hopes progress can soon be made in getting a visa for his wife and four-year-old daughter
Read more »
China says U.S. orders it to close its consulate in HoustonThe U.S. has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston in what a Chinese official called an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage relations between the two countries.
Read more »
Breached levees trap thousands as flooding in China worsensBreached levees have trapped more than 10,000 people in an eastern Chinese town as flooding worsens across much of the country, local authorities said Tuesday.
Read more »