Tianwen-1: China’s first Mars mission

Tianwen-1: China’s first Mars mission

Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-III – Space; Science and Technology

In News:

• In July, China will launch its first Mars mission, the ‘Tianwen-1’. 
• It is expected to land on Mars in the first quarter of 2021.

Key takeaways

• Tianwen-1 is an all-in-one orbiter, lander and rover. 
• It will search the Martian surface for water, ice, investigate soil characteristics, and study the atmosphere. 
• The Tianwen-1 mission will lift off on a Long March 5 rocket. 
• If the mission is successful, China will become the third country to achieve a Mars landing after the USSR and the United States.
• Around the same time in July, NASA will also launch its own Mars mission– ‘Perseverance’. 
• It aims to collect Martian samples and bring them back to Earth in a two-part campaign.