China Successfully Launches Its First Rover Mission to Mars

Beijing: China on Thursday launched its first rover mission to Mars. Also Read – Beijing Calls Ban on Chinese Apps ‘Deliberate Interference’, Urges India to Lift it as Soon as Possible

The six-wheeled robot, encapsulated in a protective probe, was lifted by a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island at 12.40 a.m., the BBC reported. Also Read – ‘China Has Been Covering up’: Hong Kong Doctor Breaks Silence Over COVID-19 Outbreak

It should arrive in orbit around the Red Planet in February. Also Read – China Proposes 4-Point Action Plan to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal; Defends WHO Over COVID-19 Crisis

Called Tianwen-1, or “Questions to Heaven”, the rover won’t actually try to land on the surface for a further two to three months.

This wait-and-see strategy will allow engineers to assess the atmospheric conditions on Mars before attempting what will be a hazardous descent.

Tianwen-1 is one of three missions setting off to Mars in the space of 11 days.

Thursday’s development comes after the United Arab Emirates on Monday launched its Hope satellite towards the Red Planet.

Also in a week, NASA aims to despatch its next-generation rover, Perseverance.

So far, only the Americans have managed to run long-lived operations on Mars.