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Extreme Weather Warning, Temperatures of 38 Degrees Expected Today...

Hot! Hot! Hot! The temperature is expected to reach a high of 38℃ in Haikou today, with an orange warning for high temperatures in effect. This is the first warning of its kind this year and is expected to continue until tomorrow.

From July! New “mandatory national standard” for e-bike helmets in...

Starting from July 2023, all e-bike riders in China will be required to wear helmets that comply with the new national standard. The standard sets strict rules for the durability and reliability of the straps and other components, collision energy absorption, puncture resistance, and eye protection.

Plan Your Getaway: 2023 Upcoming Holidays to Look Forward...

How time flies, we’re already halfway through the month of March, with the Qingming Festival holiday also known as Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival, just around the corner.

From Landfill to Eco Park: Yanchunling Restoration Project Unveils...

The "plan" for Yanchunling Ecological Park includes three design schemes, each with detailed introductions to the design concepts, investment estimates, and pros and cons. The public is encouraged to provide feedback on the park's design concept, functional layout, traffic organization, plant configuration, architectural style, urban furniture, and signage system.
HomeLatest newsChina’s Mission to...

China’s Mission to Mars What We Know about the Tianwen-1 Mission so far

July 23rd 2020, a Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket successfully launched from the Wenchang, Hainan Spacecraft Launch Site and is currently en route to Mars, it has already travelled about 3 million kilometres to date.

The Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle so far is carrying a spacecraft with a mass of about five tonnes. 

The Long March-5 rocket, China's largest launch vehicle so far is carrying a spacecraft with a mass of about five tonnes
The Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle so far carried a spacecraft with a mass of about five tonnes

The interplanetary mission to Mars involves three robotic explorers, an orbiter, a lander and a rover designed and built by the Chinese space agency. 

The mission is known as Tianwen-1.

The name “Tianwen” (simplified Chinese: 天问; ‘heavenly questions’) comes from the long poem of the same name written by Qu Yuan (about 340–278 BC), regarded as one of the greatest poets of Ancient China. 

Qu Yuan (about 340–278 BC)
Qu Yuan (about 340–278 BC)

It is a poem of a series of questions starting with how the universe was created.

Tianwen-1 transfer orbit and trajectory correction maneuvers (TCM)
Tianwen-1 transfer orbit and trajectory correction maneuvers (TCM)

Tianwen-1 carried out its first mid-course correction on August 2, 2020 and will make two more course corrections and a deep-space manoeuvre as it makes its way to the red planet over the next seven months. 

The spacecraft has already begun to conduct scientific operations with the Mars Energetic Particle Analyser, mounted on the orbiter, which has already transmitted data back to ground control.

The scientific objectives of Tianwen-1

Its stated objectives are to search for evidence of both current and past life, and to assess the planet’s environment. 

1) Create a geological map of Mars.

2) Explore the characteristics of the Martian soil and locate potential deposits of water and ice.

3) Analyse the material composition of the surface.

4) Investigate the Martian atmosphere and weather on the surface and,

5) Understand the electromagnetic and gravitational fields of the planet.

China's Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover undergoing tests during 2019 2
China’s Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover undergoing tests during 2019 2

The orbiter is equipped with seven instruments. It has two cameras, an underground penetrating radar, a spectrometer to reveal the mineral composition of the surface, and instruments to analyse charged particles in the Martian atmosphere.

China's Mars Rover
China’s Mars Rover

The rover, which has twice the mass of China’s Yutu-2 lunar rover by weighing 240 kilograms, has six instruments and also includes two cameras, as well as a radar and three detectors that can be used to study soil composition and the magnetic fields of Mars.

The landing site for the rover has been the subject of speculation, but an article in Nature confirms that it will be somewhere in Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in the northern latitudes of Mars and the same place where NASA’s Viking 2 mission landed in the 1970s. 

The date the rover is expected to land is about two or three months after Tianwen-1 reaches Martian orbit, so if everything goes as planned, it could be April or May 2021.

Tianwen-1 was the second of three space missions sent toward Mars during the July 2020 Mars launch window, with missions also launched by the national space agencies of the United Arab Emirates (Hope orbiter) and the United States (Mars 2020, with an orbiter, lander, and rover). All three are expected to arrive at Mars in February 2021.

Source: The Chinese Space Agency 

Related article: Everything you wanted to know about the Chinese calendar but were too confused to ask

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Extreme Weather Warning, Temperatures of 38 Degrees Expected Today in Haikou

Hot! Hot! Hot! The temperature is expected to reach a high of 38℃ in Haikou today, with an orange warning for high temperatures in effect. This is the first warning of its kind this year and is expected to continue until tomorrow.

From July! New “mandatory national standard” for e-bike helmets in China

Starting from July 2023, all e-bike riders in China will be required to wear helmets that comply with the new national standard. The standard sets strict rules for the durability and reliability of the straps and other components, collision energy absorption, puncture resistance, and eye protection.

Plan Your Getaway: 2023 Upcoming Holidays to Look Forward to, Including Qingming Festival and Labour Day Breaks

How time flies, we’re already halfway through the month of March, with the Qingming Festival holiday also known as Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival, just around the corner.

From Landfill to Eco Park: Yanchunling Restoration Project Unveils Design Plans

The "plan" for Yanchunling Ecological Park includes three design schemes, each with detailed introductions to the design concepts, investment estimates, and pros and cons. The public is encouraged to provide feedback on the park's design concept, functional layout, traffic organization, plant configuration, architectural style, urban furniture, and signage system.

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China turns on nuclear-powered artificial sun

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China on the Moon, a History of Chinese Lunar Missions in Pictures

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Extreme Weather Warning, Temperatures of 38 Degrees Expected Today in Haikou

Hot! Hot! Hot! The temperature is expected to reach a high of 38℃ in Haikou today, with an orange warning for high temperatures in effect. This is the first warning of its kind this year and is expected to continue until tomorrow.

Announcement on the Introduction of “Guarantee and Instant Pick-up Delivery Methods” for Duty-Free Shopping on Hainan Island

In an effort to enhance the duty-free shopping experience for island-bound tourists, Hainan Island has introduced that the "Guarantee Delivery" and "Instant Purchase and Pick-up" methods are now available for tourists purchasing duty-free goods from Hainan's duty-free shops.

New Duty-Free Pickup Point for Rail and Ferry Travelers Opens at Haikou South Port

In a move aimed at supporting the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port as an international tourism and consumption centre, the duty-free pickup point for travellers departing Hainan Island by rail and, or, ferry will open on March 23rd at Haikou South Port (海口南港), according to the Hainan Daily.

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