China’s first Mars rover is en route to the Red Planet after successful launch of Tianwen-1

China’s first Mars rover is en route to the Red Planet after successful launch of Tianwen-1

3 years ago
Anonymous $qOHwDUKgAF

https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/23/chinas-first-mars-rover-is-en-route-to-the-red-planet-after-successful-launch-of-tianwen-1/

China successfully launched a combination Mars orbiter and rover early this morning, using a Long March 5 rocket that took off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island at 12:41 AM EDT. The Tianwen-1 payload it carries represents China’s first full-scale Mars exploration mission, after a prior partial attempt with a orbital Mars satellite called Yinghuo-1 failed to leave Earth’s orbit in 2011.

This is a major effort not just for China, but also for extra-terrestrial planetary exploration in general, because it includes the combination effort of both the lander and rover in one combined mission, with the plan to deploy the rover on land and have it communicate with the orbiter as it makes its way around Mars all in one trip.