Tianwen-1, mission to Mars, China

Tianwen-1 is the name of China’s first Mars exploration mission, scheduled to be launched this year. The name Tianwen (天問, Questions to Heaven) comes from a poem written by the Chinese poet Qu Yuan. The mission will be launched by the Long March-5 Y4 rocket.

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The Long March-5 Y4 launch vehicle will launch Tianwen-1, China’s first Mars exploration mission, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan Province, China. The name Tianwen (天問, Questions to Heaven) comes from a poem written by the Chinese poet Qu Yuan. The mission is currently planned in late July or early August.

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The Tianwen-1 Mars mission was launched by a Long March-5 launch vehicle (Long March-5 Y4) from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan Province, on 23 July 2020, at 04:41 UTC (12:41 local time). Tianwen-1 is China’s first Mars exploration mission and includes an orbiter, a lander and a rover.

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The Tianwen-1 Mars rover was tested at the China Academy of Space Technology in a simulated Martian landscape. The rover is 1.85-meter-high, weighs 240 kilograms and is equipped with six scientific instruments. Tianwen-1 mission, orbiter, lander and rover, is expected to enter Mars orbit in February 2021. The name Tianwen (天問, Questions to Heaven) comes from a poem written by the Chinese poet Qu Yuan.

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China's space agency released two videos showing its Tianwen-1 probe entering the orbit of Mars, saying the spacecraft was sending its Lunar New Year greetings back from the red planet

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Zhurong, the Tianwen-1 mission’s rover, successfully landed on the southern part of Utopia Planitia, Mars, on 14 May 2021, at 23:18 UTC (15 May, 07:18 China Standard Time). Tianwen-1 (天问一号) is China’s first Mars exploration mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover. The name Tianwen (天问, Questions to Heaven) comes from a poem written by the Chinese poet Qu Yuan. The Tianwen-1 mission’s rover was named Zhurong (祝融) after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology.
Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/China National Space Administration (CNSA).

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The designers of the Tianwen-1 Mars mission explain the landing process of the Zhurong rover. Tianwen-1 (天问一号) is China’s first Mars exploration mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover - Zhurong (祝融).
Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/China National Space Administration (CNSA).

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Zhurong, the Tianwen-1 mission’s rover, transmitted its first images form the southern part of Utopia Planitia, Mars, on 19 May 2021. Tianwen-1 (天问一号) is China’s first Mars exploration mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
Credit:China National Space Administration (CNSA).
First images of Mars from the Zhurong rover

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Zhurong, the Tianwen-1 mission’s rover, has descended from the landing platform to the surface of Mars, in the Utopia Planitia region, on 22 May 2021, at 02:40 UTC (10:40 China Standard Time). Tianwen-1 (天问一号) is China’s first Mars exploration mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover. Zhurong (祝融), named after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology, has a mass of 240 kg and an expected lifespan of at least 90 Martian days.
Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/China National Space Administration (CNSA)

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Zhurong’s development team carries out tests on a 1:1 copy of the rover before transmitting the commands to Mars. Zhurong successfully drove off the platform onto the surface of Mars on 22 May 2021.

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The Tianwen-1 mission’s lander and the Zhurong rover successfully landed on the southern part of Utopia Planitia, Mars, on 14 May 2021, at 23:18 UTC (15 May, 07:18 China Standard Time). On 22 May 2021, at 02:40 UTC (10:40 China Standard Time), Zhurong descended from the landing platform. The Tianwen-1 orbiter captured the area before and after the landing, on 2 June 2021, at 10:00 UTC (18:00 China Standard Time).

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NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured with the HiRISE camera images of the Tianwen-1 Lander and the Zhurong Rover on Utopia Planitia, Mars.

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On 11 June 2021, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) released the first batch of scientific images taken by the Tianwen-1 mission on Mars. The panoramic image was taken by the Zhurong rover from the Tianwen-1 lander, using the Navigation and Terrain camera (NaTeCam). The first topography and geomorphology image was taken with NaTeCam, after Zhurong descended onto the surface of Mars. The Tianwen-1 lander is seen by the Zhurong rover from about 6 metres away. The Zhurong rover and Tianwen-1 lander captured from about 10 metres away in an image taken by a camera deployed on the ground by the rover.

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Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 Mars mission, explains how Zhurong’s first 360-degree panorama was taken, along with details about the other images and status report on the rover’s progress. Tianwen-1 (天问一号) is China’s first Mars exploration mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover named Zhurong (祝融).

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Tianwen-1 Mars mission scientists explain what are the mission plans for the Zhurong rover on Utopia Planitia, Mars. Tianwen-1 (天问一号) is China’s first Mars exploration mission with an orbiter, a lander and a rover named Zhurong (祝融).

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