China joins crowded field in race to land on Mars

China has launched its most ambitious mission yet: attempting to join the US in successfully landing a spacecraft on Mars.

AFP

less than 2 min read

4:41PMJuly 23, 2020.

Updated 5:11PMJuly 23, 2020

A Long March-5 rocket carrying an orbiter, lander and rover for the 7-month journey to Mars. Picture: AFP

China launched its most ambitious Mars mission yet on Thursday in a bold attempt to join the US in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet.

Engines blazing orange, a Long March-5 carrier rocket took off under clear skies about 12.40pm from Hainan Island, south of China’s mainland. Hundreds of space enthusiasts cried out excitedly on a beach across the bay from the launch site.

Launch commander Zhang Xueyu announced to cheers in the control room that the rocket was flying normally about 45 minutes later. “The Mars rover has accurately entered the scheduled orbit,” he said.

People watch the launch of a Long March-5 rocket, carrying an orbiter, lander and rover as part of the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars, lifting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China. Picture: AFP

It marked the second flight to Mars this week, after a United Arab Emirates orbiter blasted off on a rocket from Japan on Monday. And the US is aiming to launch Perseverance, its most sophisticated Mars rover ever, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, next week.

China’s tandem spacecraft — with both an orbiter and a rover — will take seven months to reach Mars, like the others. If all goes well, Tianwen-1, or “quest for heavenly truth”, will look for underground water, if it’s present, as well as evidence of possible ancient life.

This isn’t China’s first attempt at Mars. In 2011, a Chinese orbiter accompanying a Russian mission was lost when the spacecraft failed to get out of Earth’s orbit after launching from Kazakhstan, eventually burning up in the atmosphere. This time, China is going at it alone. It also is fast-tracking, launching an orbiter and rover on the same mission instead of stringing them out.

China’s secretive space program has developed rapidly in recent decades. Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut in 2003, and last year, Chang’e 4 became the first spacecraft from any country to land on the far side of the moon. Conquering Mars would put China in an elite club.