It has been a year since the Chinese spacecraft Tianwen-1 reached Mars. The mission not only marked an important step in the country’s interplanetary exploration, but also made a number of achievements during that time.
The Tianwen-1 probe consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. On May 15, 2021, he landed in his pre-selected landing zone at Utopia Planitia, a vast Martian plain, marking the first time China has landed a probe on the planet.
One week later, on May 22, 2021, the butterfly-like rover Zhurong descended from its landing platform to the surface of Mars. On June 11, China’s National Space Administration published the first images taken by Zhurong, marking a complete success in the country’s first mission to explore Mars.
Fruitful results
After landing, Zhurong continued to move south and transmit data back to Earth. He completed research on the Martian surface, went through many complex terrains and discovered Martian rocks, sand dunes and impact craters, obtaining a large amount of data with the help of his onboard scientific equipment.
Until August 15, 2021, Zhurong worked on the surface of the planet for 90 Martian days or about 92 days on Earth, performing all tasks of exploration and discovery as planned. He was in good condition and continued to work, although he reached the planned work goal of 90 days.
From mid-September to the end of October last year, the Mars and Zhurong orbiters suspended research and relied on their own autonomous systems to survive their first solar power outage, during which solar electromagnetic radiation increased and disrupted communication between the probe and the Earth.
In November 2021, Zhurong and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft conducted a relay communication test in orbit.
In May this year, using data collected by Zhurong at the landing site, Chinese scientists discovered new evidence suggesting the presence of liquid water activity and hydrated minerals on the Red Planet.
Until May 5, 2022, the Tianwen-1 orbiter operated for 651 days at a distance of 240 million kilometers from Earth. Zhurong worked for 347 Martian days and covered 1921 meters. The orbiter and rover, operating normally, had received approximately 940 gigabytes of data.
Future endeavors
The Tianwen-1 mission is just the beginning of the exploration of the planet China and many new ventures are being prepared.
According to a white paper entitled “China’s Space Program: A Perspective for 2021”, the country will continue its exploration of the moon with future Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions. It will complete the construction of an international lunar research station together with other countries, world organizations and partners.
Future plans also include launching an asteroid probe, retrieving samples from near-Earth asteroids, and retrieving samples from Mars.
The Tianwen-2 probe has entered the stage of preliminary development of the prototype.
Add Comment