CHINA-SPACE: CHINA'S PROBE TO MARS TOUCHED DOWN ON THE 'RED PLANET' ON MAY 15 AND DEPLOYED ITS ZHURONG ROVER

Xinhua (May 15) reported that China’s probe to Mars touched down on Mars, the Red Planet, to deploy its Zhurong rover. The lander carrying Zhurong completed the treacherous descent through the Martian atmosphere using a parachute to navigate the “seven minutes of terror” as it is known, aiming for a vast northern lava plain known as the Utopia Planitia. CCTV announced that the mission “successfully landed in the pre-selected area” and launched a special TV program dedicated to the mission called “Nihao Mars”. It makes China the first country to carry out an orbiting, landing and roving operation during its first mission to Mars –  a feat unmatched by the only other two nations to reach the Red Planet so far, the US and Russia. PBSC member and Vice Premier Han Zheng watched the landing of the Tianwen-1 probe on Mars at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message which was read out by Liu He, Politburo member and Vice Premier.





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