China lands spacecraft on Mars

China has landed a spacecraft containing a rover on Mars, according to state media, as a further sign of its bold ambitions in the sphere.

The rover was part of the Tianwen-1 unmanned mission launched in July last year. Tianwen means “questions to heaven” and was named after a poem by Chinese poet Qu Yuan.

The mission, which was described by the Chinese media as a “major new milestone” and the “first step in the planetary exploration of China’s solar system,” was aimed at: coincides with the US by successfully landing on the red planet.

The Global Times reported that the lander and rover of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft reached a plain on Mars called Utopia Planitia in the early hours of Saturday morning, local time, citing information from China’s National Space Administration.

The landing and rover of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft separated with orbit around four in the morning, after which it had a three-hour flight before entering the atmosphere of Mars, according to the newspaper.

The spacecraft “spent about nine minutes decelerating, gliding to avoid and cushion the obstacles before its soft landing.” The rover is named Zhurong in honor of a Chinese god of fire, weighs 1.85 m and weighs 240 kg. It is expected to cross the planet for about 92 days.

The spacecraft was launched into space on July 23 by the Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang launch pad in Hainan Province in the south of the country.

Achieving the landing on Mars is part of a broader expansion of the Chinese space program. The country’s engineers launched the first part of their permanent space station into Earth’s orbit late last month.

In 2018, China launched more ships into orbit for the first time than any other nation.

The US sees China’s efforts in space in strategic terms. “Beijing is working to match or exceed U.S. capabilities in space to gain the military, economic, and prestige advantages that Washington has gained from space leadership,” according to the annual threat assessment released by the director’s office. US national intelligence.