It has been a year since China’s Tianwen-1 probe reached Mars. The mission has not only marked an important step in the country’s interplanetary exploration but has also made a number of achievements in that time.
The Tianwen-1 probe consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. On May 15, 2021, it touched down at its pre-selected landing area in Utopia Planitia, a vast Martian plain, marking the first time that China has landed a probe on the planet.
A week later on May 22, 2021, the Mars rover Zhurong, which resembles a butterfly, drove down from its landing platform to the Martian surface. On June 11, the China National Space Administration released the first photographs taken by Zhurong, signifying a complete success in the country’s first Mars exploration mission.
Fruitful Results
Since landing, Zhurong has continued moving southward and transmitted data back to Earth. It has completed explorations of the Martian surface, passed through multiple complex terrains, and detected Martian rocks, sand dunes and impact craters, obtaining a large amount of data using its onboard scientific equipment.
By Aug. 15, 2021, Zhurong had worked on the planet’s surface for 90 Martian days, or about 92 days on Earth, accomplishing all exploration and detection tasks as planned. It was in good condition and continued service despite reaching its planned working target of 90 days.
From mid-September to late October last year, the Mars orbiter and Zhurong suspended their explorations and relied on their own autonomous systems to survive their first solar outage, during which time solar electromagnetic radiation increased and disrupted communication between the probe and Earth.
In November 2021, Zhurong and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft performed an in-orbit relay communication test.
In May this year, using data gathered by Zhurong on the landing site, Chinese scientists found new evidence suggesting the presence of liquid water activity and hydrated minerals on the red planet.
By May 5, 2022, the Tianwen-1 orbiter had been operating for 651 days at a distance of 240 million kilometers from Earth. Zhurong had been working for 347 Martian days and traveled 1,921 meters. The orbiter and rover, operating normally, had obtained approximately 940 gigabytes of data.
Future Endeavors
The Tianwen-1 mission is only the beginning of China’s planetary exploration, and many new endeavors are in the pipeline.
According to a white paper titled “China’s Space Program: A 2021 Perspective,” the country will continue its lunar exploration with the future Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions. It will complete the construction of an international lunar research station together with other countries, global organizations and partners.
Future plans also include launching an asteroid probe, retrieving samples from near-Earth asteroids, and retrieving samples from Mars.
The Tianwen-2 probe has entered the preliminary prototype development stage
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Related Links
Lunar Exploration and Space Program
The Chinese Space Program – News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com
|
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook – our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don’t have a paywall – with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. |
||
|
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5+ Billed Monthly |
 |
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
China’s cargo craft docks with space station combination
Beijing (XNA) May 12, 2022
In the latest stage in its space station program, China launched the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft early on Tuesday morning, to transport fuel and supplies to its Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA.
In a brief statement, the agency said that a Long March 7 carrier rocket blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province at 01:56 am, sending the robotic spaceship to a low-Earth orbit of around 400 kilometers. It docked with Tiangong travelli … read more