China landed a spacecraft on Mars for the first time with the latest advances in space programs.
Xinhua News Agency said on Saturday that the lander had landed, citing the China National Space Administration.
The plan requires Rover to stay on the lander for a few days of diagnostic testing, then roll a ramp to explore the icy region of Mars known as the Utopia Planitia.Will join Americans arriving on the red planet During February.
China’s first Mars landing follows the launch of the main section of the Mars landing last month. Permanent space station And the mission to recover the rock from the moon at the end of last year.
“China left its mark on Mars for the first time, which is an important step in our country’s space exploration,” Xinhua announced that it has landed on one of its social media accounts.
The United States has made nine successful landings on Mars since 1976. The Soviet Union landed on Mars in 1971, but the mission failed because the aircraft stopped transmitting information shortly after landing.
A rover and a small helicopter from the United States that landed in February are currently exploring Mars. NASA Rover collecting the first sample In July to return to Earth in 10 years.
China has landed on the moon before, but has landed Mars is a much more difficult business Because it has a very thin atmosphere.
Spacecraft must use heat shields to protect them from the scorching heat of re-entry, and use both retrorocket rockets and parachutes at sufficient speed to prevent crash landing. Parachutes and rockets must be deployed at the exact time to land at the designated location.
Only a mini retro rocket is needed to land on the moon, and a parachute is enough to return to Earth, which has a much larger atmosphere.