China's 'Wujiugui' Symbol Tianwen to Enter Mars Orbit Next Month

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[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China's first Mars probe, Tianwen-1, will enter Mars orbit next month.

According to Chinese state media including Xinhua News Agency on the 4th, the China National Space Administration announced that as of 6 a.m. on the 3rd, Tianwen-1 has traveled over 400 million kilometers. The administration added that after flying just 8.3 million kilometers more, Tianwen-1 will enter Mars orbit.

China's 'Wujiugui' Symbol Tianwen to Enter Mars Orbit Next Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Tianwen-1, a symbol of China's "space rise," was launched on July 23 from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan aboard the Long March 5 rocket. Tianwen-1 consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover.

The China National Space Administration explained that Tianwen-1 is currently flying toward Mars at a speed of 23 km per second (2 million km per day). At this speed, it is expected to enter Mars orbit around mid-next month and begin preparations for landing, the administration added.

A representative from the administration said, "Tianwen-1 will decelerate around February 10," and "afterwards, it will orbit Mars."

Chinese media forecast that around August, Tianwen-1 will successfully land on Mars, and the rover will conduct surface investigations for 92 days (90 Martian days).

If Tianwen-1 lands on the Martian surface, China will become the third country in the world to successfully land on Mars, following the United States and Russia.

Coincidentally, the United States' fifth Mars probe, Perseverance, will arrive in Mars orbit around the same time as China's Tianwen-1.

Launched on July 30, one week later than Tianwen-1, Perseverance is a mobile exploration rover. Powered by a nuclear battery, it can operate on Mars for 14 years. The rover's mission is to collect Martian soil and rock samples and deliver them to the next U.S. Mars probe scheduled for 2031.