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.
Tianwen-1 was launched on a Long March-5 carrier rocket from Hainan Island, a resort province off the south coast of the mainland, state media said.
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.
In an article published earlier this month in Nature Astronomy, mission chief engineer Wan Weixing said Tianwen-1 would slip into orbit around Mars in February and look for a landing site on Utopia Planitia -- a plain where NASA has detected possible evidence of underground ice. Wan died in May from cancer.
This Mars-launching season -- which occurs every 26 months when Earth and Mars are at their closest -- is especially busy.
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.
China launches ambitious attempt to land rover on MarsIf all goes well, Tianwen-1 will look for underground water, signs of ancient life
Read more »
‘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 »