By 
January 4th, 2021
En route China Mars probe Tianwen-1 is seen in this post-launch selfie.
Credit: CNSA
China’s Mars probe Tianwen-1 is expected to enter Mars orbit next month, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
Tianwen-1, which means quest for heavenly truth, was launched on July 23, 2020 kicking off the country’s independent planetary exploration mission.
China’s three-in-one mission: An orbiter, lander, and rover.
Credit: Wan, W.X., Wang, C., Li, C.L. et al.
The probe has flown in space for over 163 days – a multi-part mission featuring an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The orbiter has completed the third on-orbit self-check, and all systems are working normally, according to the CNSA.
Tianwen-1 will brake into orbit around the Red Planet in February. The expected touchdown time is May 2021, about three months after Tianwen-1 arrives in the Mars orbit.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Auto-braking
Tianwen-1 has only once chance of braking. But because the distance is too far, the time of communication is delayed for ten minutes.
This has made it impossible to do any real-time control and interference, said Li Zhencai, deputy commander of the Tianwen-1 Mars probe project of China Academy of Space Technology in a China Central Television (CCTV) interview.
“We have solidified the engine startup instruction in the control program and it is, therefore, up to the probe to implement the orders,” Li said. “We plan to complete all the commands and the joint exercise with the Beijing Aerospace Control Center before Jan. 24. It is likely that we would conduct the fourth orbital correction during the probe’s flight to Mars, with the objective of obtain the relevant orbital parameters at the capture point and ensure accurate operations.”
China’s Mars rover design undergoing ground testing.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Mars trio
Li told CCTV that after February 3, “we will all switch to centralize the flight control mode, and up to August, the entire Mars exploration mission will be completed. The designed life span of the Mars rover is 92 days and according to the time it is to land on the Mars, it is the end of August.”
UAE’s Hope Mars orbiter.
Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center
NASA’s next Mars explorer, the Perseverance rover.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
China’s Mars mission is joined by the United Arab Emirates Hope Mars orbiter, as well as NASA’s Perseverance mega-rover. These two spacecraft were also launched in July 2020, with all three expected to arrive at Mars in February 2021.
For a newly released CCTV video of China’s Mars mission, go to:
Posted in Space News
