The probe of China’s first Mars mission Tianwen-1, Oct.1, 2020. / CNSA
The probe of China’s first Mars mission Tianwen-1, Oct.1, 2020. / CNSA
According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the probe for China’s first Mars mission Tianwen-1 is more than 100 million kilometers from Earth after traveling 144 days.
As of 9 p.m. Monday, the probe had flown, in good condition, about 360 million kilometers and was more than 100 million kilometers from Earth and 12 million kilometers from Mars.
The distance between the red planet and Earth periodically varies from 50 million to more than 400 million kilometers, and when the probe reaches Mars, it will be about 190 million kilometers from Earth.
The spacecraft, launched by a Long March-5 rocket on July 23, is expected to complete orbit, landing, and roaming in one mission.
It has already completed several tasks, including taking a photo of the Earth and the Moon, as well as a “selfie”, three orbital corrections, a maneuver in deep space and self-checks of the payload.
Several more orbital corrections will be made before the probe enters Mars orbit around mid-February.