Tianwen-1 — launch
Date in UTC
Tianwen-1 (also referred to as TW-1) is an interplanetary mission by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) which sent a robotic spacecraft to Mars, consisting of six spacecraft: an orbiter, two deployable cameras, lander, remote camera, and the Zhurong rover. The spacecraft, with a total mass of nearly five tons, is one of the heaviest probes launched to Mars and carries 14 scientific instruments. It is the first in a series of planned missions undertaken by CNSA as part of its Planetary Exploration of China program. The mission's scientific objectives include: investigation of Martian surface geology and internal structure, search for indications of current and past presence of water, and characterization of the space environment and the atmosphere of Mars.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianwen-1. Related NASA reference: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/chronology.html#2020. Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
- Category
- Launches and Flight Tests
- Type
- Orbital launch
- Subjects
- Space transportation
- Mission
- Tianwen-1
- Organization
- Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
- Vehicle
- Chang Zheng 5
- Location
- Wenchang Space Center, Hainan
- Country
- CN
- Outcome
- Successful
Context and qualifications
Launch code: DS. Source references: nasaspaceflight.com; xinhuanet.com.
Sources and attribution
- Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)
- Wikipedia — Tianwen 1 (opens in a new tab) — Adapted from Wikipedia contributors; selected sentences retained and edited for length, reference markers and pronunciation glosses. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Article and edit history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianwen-1 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA — Tianwen 1 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA NSSDCA — Tianwen 1 (opens in a new tab)
