Space China
China, the second country to establish presence on Mars
The image shows that a ramp on the lander has been extended to the surface of Mars. The terrain of the rover’s forward direction is clearly visible and the horizon of Mars appears curved
With the touchdown of Tianwen-1 on Mars, putting the first section of the country’s permanent space station into orbit, returning the first lunar samples to Earth, and more, China is rapidly strengthening its space presence
Photograph: CNSA
By Ayushee Chaudhary As more and more countries continue to participate in the space expeditions, the possibility of interplanetary missions is also garnering more and more attention. The red planet, Mars has been an obvious choice for scientists to study the possibility of life on its surface and develop a better understanding of
www.sps-aviation.com
ancient life on Mars. Since 1960s nations have been venturing out to get more information of our neighbouring planet. The recent addition to the Mars expedition is the Chinese Tianwen-1 mission. The rover of Tianwen-1, Zhurong, successfully landed on the Martian surface on May 15, 2021, after which
ISSUE 5 • 2021
27
