A recent Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) publication reveals key details on the Tianwen-1 mission, deploying a rover to Mars. No firm date is set, but the launch window opens this Thursday.
On July 19, a Japanese rocket successfully launched the UAE's Hope probe—the nation's first Mars mission, focused on studying the Red Planet's weather and atmosphere.
This kicks off a trio of Mars missions this summer. NASA's follows after July 30, but Tianwen-1 looks imminent. Experts, noting Long March 5 preparations at Wenchang on Hainan Island, anticipate liftoff on Thursday, July 23.
CNSA's new paper in Nature Astronomy details the plans. The rover targets a 90-Martian-sol mission (about 92 Earth days), probing water ice distribution in subsurface layers.
The orbiter relays data between Earth and rover while mapping Mars' geology over one Martian year (687 Earth days).
Like Hope and Perseverance, it arrives February 2021, but orbits 2-3 months before landing.
Candidates were Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia—low-altitude, smooth plains ideal for braking, mobility, and solar power.
Utopia Planitia, a 3,200 km northern plain visited by Viking 2 in 1976, was chosen. Exact coordinates undisclosed.
Success would be China's Mars surface debut, ending U.S. exclusivity.
