Mars Landing by China
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Sci & tech
In news
- China landed a spacecraft on Mars carrying its first Mars rover in a big boost to its space ambitions.
Key takeaways
- China had in July 2020, launched its first Mars mission, called Tianwen-1, carrying a lander and rover.
- Tianwen-1 had been in orbit since February.
- Recently, a lander descended successfully on the surface of Mars carrying a rover named Zhurong.
- Only Russia and the U.S.A had previously carried out a successful landing on Mars.
- The rover will provide “first-hand materials for research on the Mars’ space environment, surface topography, and soil structure.
Do you know?
- In 2019, the fourth lunar probe, Chang’e-4, carried out the world’s first landing on the far side of the moon.
- The Mars mission was launched the following year.
- Last month, a Long March-5B Y2 rocket carried out the first of three components for the space station, called the Tianhe or Heavenly Harmony module.
