Tag: CNSA
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After a year filled with new missions and discoveries, Mars and its robots look ahead to 2022
After the successful launch of three new Mars missions in the summer of 2020, Mars exploration was looking to have a groundbreaking year in 2021. Astonishingly, all three missions — NASA’s Mars 2020, China’s Tianwen-1, and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter — successfully arrived at Mars in February, and have already sent back amazing…
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Shenzhou-12 and three crew members successfully launch to new Chinese space station
The first crewed mission to the new Chinese Space Station has successfully launched. Shenzhou-12, carrying three taikonauts, lifted off on Thursday June 17 at 01:22 UTC from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in northwest China. Shenzhou-12 launched on top of the human-rated Long March 2F vehicle, which is based on the…
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China releases first pictures from Zhurong rover since Mars landing
China’s Zhurong rover sits atop the Tianwen 1 mission’s landing platform on Mars. Credit: CNSA China’s space agency released the first pictures from the Zhurong Mars rover Wednesday, showing the six-wheel robot ready to drive down a ramp from its landing platform to begin exploring the Red Planet. The 529-pound (240-kilogram) Zhurong rover landed Friday,…
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China lands its first probe on Mars
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) with more details. Artist’s illustration of the Tianwen 1 orbiter and rover at Mars. Credit: CNSA / Chinese Academy of Sciences / Nature Astronomy China’s space agency said Friday the country’s first Mars rover safely touched down and began sending data back to Earth, joining the United…
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China succeeds on country’s first Mars landing attempt with Tianwen-1
China has become only the second nation to successfully land a spacecraft on Mars on Friday, joining the United States. Tianwen-1, China’s first mission to the Red Planet, launched in the middle of last year, sharing the particularly busy July 2020 Martian launch window with NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, including the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, and…
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Chinese rover heads for landing on Mars
Artist’s illustration of the Tianwen 1 orbiter and rover at Mars. Credit: CNSA / Chinese Academy of Sciences / Nature Astronomy A Chinese rover outfitted with cameras, a weather station, and a sophisticated laser spectrometer could touch down on Mars as soon as Friday, a feat that would make China the second nation to successfully…
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China preparing to build Tiangong station in 2021, complete by 2022
China is gearing up for its next big leap in space exploration: the construction of its modular crewed space station, the Tiangong. Starting in 2021, the construction of the Tiangong orbital space station is expected to be complete in 2022 after eleven missions, including three launches of different modules, four launches of cargo vehicles and…
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China, with Tianwen-1, begins tenure at Mars with successful orbital arrival
The Tianwen-1 orbiter, lander, and rover mission to Mars from the People’s Republic of China has successfully arrived at the Red Planet following an approximately 15 minute Mars Orbit Insertion burn that placed the craft into orbit. The arrival capped a seven-month cruise to Mars and marks the start of a multi-pronged scientific mission that…
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Chinese mission returned nearly 4 pounds of lunar samples
Staff members handle the capsule containing lunar samples returned by the Chang’e 5 mission. Credit: Xinhua Chinese officials say they plan to share a portion of the nearly 4 pounds of lunar material returned by the Chang’e 5 mission with other countries, but an allocation for U.S. scientists will hinge on a change in U.S.…
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China launches world’s first lunar sample return mission since 1976
The Chang’e 5 lunar orbiter, lander, and sample collection return vehicle left its sea-side launch pad at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan province, People’s Republic of China to begin its journey to the moon right on time at 20:30:12 UTC (15:30:12 EST) on 23 November. The mission launched on a Chang Zheng…