In News -
● On July 22, China launched its Mars mission .
● Known as Tianwen-1 , the mission name is loosely translated to “ questions to Heaven .”
● Key points you should know :
◦ China’s first Mars probe is called Tianwen-1 (formerly Huoxing 1).
◦ The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
◦ Launched on a Long March 5 rocket from Xichang, China.
◦ Landing site: Somewhere in Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in Mars’ northern latitudes and the same place NASA’s Viking 2 mission landed in the1970s.
◦ Tianwen-1 will reach the Red Planet’s orbit in February 2021. The rover will land on Mars in May.
◦ If the mission is successful, China will become the third country to achieve a Mars landing after the USSR and the United States.