Chinese Mars probe reaches parked position in orbit

After several breaking manoeuvres, China’s Mars probe Tianwen-1 reached its final parked position in the red planet’s orbit on Wednesday.

The probe is on track to make an attempt to land on Mars in around three months, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, citing Beijing’s space administration.

Until then, the probe will use cameras to examine the topography and other conditions of the landing area more closely.

With its first Mars landing, the new space power wants to catch up with the United States, which has already sent several research devices to roam the planet.

Beijing has steadily expanded its space programme over the past few years and has missions planned for decades into the future.

In 2019, China became the first country to land an object on the far side of the moon.

Tianwen 1 took off from Earth on July 23.

The flight is one of the most difficult that China has ever undertaken. The landing is a huge challenge, as Mars has its own atmosphere, unlike the moon.

China, the United Arab Emirates and the US all launched their Mars mission around the same time last July.

The reason was that Earth and Mars align more closely every 26 months, providing a window of opportunity for more fuel-efficient journeys – and, inadvertently, for an international showdown in space.

The US Perseverance rover landed on the surface of the red planet last week.