Tianwen 1: China’s first Mars Exploration Mission
On April 24, 2020, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) named its first Mars Exploration mission as Tianwen 1. The CNSA also announced that henceforth all the planetary missions are to be named as Tianwen series.
Highlights
The announcement comes on April 24 as China has been celebrating its National Space Day on April 24 since 2016.
National Space Day of China
China celebrates its Space Day to mark the launch of its first satellite Dongfanghong-1.
Tianwen
Tianwen means Heavenly Questions. The Chinese Mars mission includes orbiting, landing and roving on the planet mars. Earlier in 2011, China attempted to send its exploratory probe called Yinghuo-I in a Russian spacecraft. However, the spacecraft was declared lost after it burnt during its re-entry.
World Mars Missions
So far countries such as India, Russia, European Union and United States have succeeded in sending missions to Mars. India’s mars mission was named “Mangalyaan”. It was launched in 2013 by ISRO. India was the fourth country in the world to reach Mars after Russia, USA and European Union.
Related Posts
Month: Current Affairs - April, 2020