Faizel Patel – 13/02/2021
China’s space agency has released video footage from its spacecraft circling Mars, two days after it successfully entered the planet’s orbit in Beijing’s latest ambitious space mission.
In the video, published by state broadcaster CCTV, the surface of the planet is seen coming into view out of a pitch black sky against the outside of the Tianwen-1, which entered the orbit of the Red Planet on Wednesday.
White craters are visible on the planet’s surface, which fades from white to black through the video as the probe flies over the course of one Martian day.
AFP reports the five-tonne Tianwen-1 – which translates as “Questions to Heaven” – includes a Mars orbiter, a lander and a solar-powered rover and launched from southern China last July.
Its success comes the same week as the United Arab Emirates’ “Hope” probe also successfully entered Mars’ orbit – making history as the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.
Mars has proved to be a challenging target, with most missions since 1960, sent by Russia, Europe, Japan and India, ending in failure.
Nasa’s Perseverance, which is set to touch down on the Red Planet on 18 February, will become the fifth rover to complete the voyage since 1997 – and all so far have been American.
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