China's Tianwen 1 Probe Enters Mars Orbit

China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe completed a precise braking near Mars on Feb 10, 2021, allowing it to be captured by the red planet's gravity and to start operation in Mars orbit.

Later, the probe will carry out multi-dimensional exploration of the planet with its payload instruments such as medium and high-resolution cameras, magnetometer, a mineral spectro-analysis instrument, and ion, neutral and energetic particle detectors.

Developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the probe, launched on July 23, 2020, has traveled more than 475 million kilometers on its journey to the planet for 202 days and is now about 192 million kilometers from the Earth.

It has completed a deep-space orbital maneuver and four midcourse corrections. All of its systems continue to perform soundly.

Tianwen 1 will carry out several orbit adjustments and is scheduled to land on Mars in May or June of this year.

Illustration of Tianwen 1 probe entering Martian orbit [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Illustration of Tianwen 1 probe entering Martian orbit [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(executive editor: Wang Ruoting)