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China’s space agency has released images captured by a tiny camera ejected from the country’s first Mars-bound spacecraft, showing the probe in deep space as it approaches the midpoint of its seven-month journey from Earth to Red planet.
Images released by the China National Space Administration on October 1 show the Tianwen 1 spacecraft traveling through the darkness of space. Tianwen deployed a small camera to take the self-portrait as it moved away from the mothership.
Two wide angle lenses were programmed into the pop-up camera for one image every second. The images were transmitted to Tianwen via a wireless radio link and then transmitted to ground crews in China.
In the images, the wings of the Tianwen 1 solar array and the dish-shaped high-gain communications antenna are clearly visible. The white section of the spacecraft is the mission entry module and heat shield, which contains a Chinese rover designed to land on Mars and explore the surface.
There is also a red Chinese flag visible on the spacecraft.
The robotic Tianwen 1 spacecraft launched on July 23 on a Long March 5 rocket, the most powerful launcher in China’s fleet. So far, the probe has performed two midway correction maneuvers to fine-tune its path to Mars, preparing for a critical burn to enter orbit around the Red Planet in February.
Once in orbit, the Tianwen 1 spacecraft will inspect the candidate landing sites for two to three months before releasing the lander and rover to enter the Martian atmosphere.
If China accomplishes those feats according to plan, they will make China the third country to make a soft landing on Mars, after the Soviet Union and the United States, and the second country to drive a robotic rover on the Red Planet.
The Tianwen 1 orbiter, which will continue its mission after launching the lander and rover, is designed to operate for at least one Martian year, or about two years on Earth. The solar-powered rover, equipped with six wheels for mobility, has a life expectancy of at least 90 days, Chinese officials said.
Chinese scientists say the Tianwen 1 mission will conduct a global study of Mars, measuring soil and rock composition, looking for signs of buried water ice, and studying the Martian atmosphere and magnetosphere. The orbiter and rover will also observe the Martian weather and probe the internal structure of Mars.
The Tianwen 1 mission is one of three spacecraft currently en route to Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover and the United Arab Emirates-developed Hope orbiter also launched in July, and are on track to reach Mars in February.
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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @ EstebanClark1.
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