The orbiter of the Chinese Tianwen-1 mission has completed its goalto photograph the entire surface of Mars, including the poles, in just over a year after it entered orbit of the red planet. So far, all vehicles involved in the mission, namely the orbiter and the Zhurong rover, have fulfilled their main objectives. Therefore, check now for more information about the mission carried out by China.
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About the Tianwen-1 mission
Meaning “search for celestial truth”, the Tianwen-1 mission consists of an orbiter, a rover and a lander that studies Mars. The aim is to have the planet's surface photographed to determine the best landing site and then drop the module containing the rover onto the surface.
Data collection from the Tianwen-1 mission
The China National Space Agency (CNSA) released the mission success news on the Chinese social network Weibo on June 29. A total of 1,040GB of data was collected by 13 science payloads mounted on the orbiter and rover, which are regularly sent back to Earth and analyzed by scientists.
A probe has to make more than 1,300 laps around the planet to get images of the entire surface of Mars. The images created have a typical medium resolution and have already been shared with NASA (North American Space Agency) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Scientific data, on the other hand, will be available soon.
The partner in the mission: Zhurong rover
Along with images from orbit, China also has “eyes” on the surface of Mars thanks to the Zhurong rover. It had already traveled about two kilometers above the planet's surface when, on May 18, it entered a period of hibernation to protect itself from the harsh winter. It was foreseen that the work destined to the rover will not stop and will have a safe return at the end of the year, close to the month of December, when the region of the planet experiences the quietest season of spring.