The Chinese spacecraft Tianwen-1 is expected to enter Mars orbit next month after traveling more than 400 meters since launch on July 23 last year.
The probe has been in space for 163 days and is currently about 8.3 m km from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration.
The flight marks the beginning of the country’s independent planetary exploration mission.
“The probe is flying faster and faster because it is no longer under the influence of heliocentric gravity,” explains Li Zhencai, deputy commander of the project. “At the moment the speed is basically stable at around 22 km per second relative to the Earth.”
That means the probe travels about 1.8 km a day.
The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
The landing on Mars is expected to take place in May 2021, about three months after arriving in orbit of the red planet.
The distance between Mars and Earth changes periodically, from 50 million kilometers at its closest and 400 million kilometers at its furthest.