BEIJING: China's Tianwen-1 probe on Monday performed an orbital manoeuvre around Mars, days after it successfully entered the orbit around the red planet capping a nearly seven-month voyage from Earth. Ahead of China's probe, the UAE's Hope probe made it safely into the orbit of Mars on Tuesday.
US space agency NASA will attempt to put another of its big rovers on the surface on the red planet on Thursday. A 3000N engine Tianwen-1 probe was ignited at 5 pm (Beijing time) on Monday to ensure the probe's trajectory passes the poles of Mars, China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.
The spacecraft will perform several more orbital adjustments to enter a parking orbit, said the CNSA. The probe, including an orbiter, a lander and a rover, successfully entered the Mars orbit on February 10 after a nearly seven-month voyage from Earth.
The lander carrying the rover is expected to land on Mars in May or June. Chinese space engineers and scientists have chosen a relatively flat region in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain, as a potential landing zone.
State-run Xinhua news agency reported that the rover will be released after landing to conduct scientific exploration.