China announced its preparation for rocket launching. Its first Mars rover is set between July 20 to 25, or the latest by early August. They had just placed a rocket in place for the upcoming launch, one of three missions to Mars with the other two from the United States and the UAE.
The Long March-5 carrier rocket was used three times experimentally but without payload. The first payload the rocker carrier will formally launch is the Tianwen-1 Mars rover. The rocket will launch in late July or early August from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on southern China's Hainan Island, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center reported.
The rocket will launch in late July or early August from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on southern China's Hainan Island, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center reported. They will deploy their Mars rover, Perseverance before the United States does.
Li Benqi, a member of Team Long March-5, said the team completed the testing for all the technical items on the rocket. Before the launching procedures, Li said they are filling fuel into the missile and ensuring it is in good condition.
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First Mars Probe
China's space program, which started in the 1950s, will eventually have its first Mars mission for scientific data collection. They had previously partnered with Russia in the creation of a military missile program.
China collaborated with Russia in 2011, to complete a Mars mission but failed. Tianwen-1 will land on Mars by February 2021, if it succeeds. They have sent astronauts to an experimental space station ever since their first flight with a crew in 2003.
China's team also landed a probe, the Yutu-2, on the far side of the Earth. It had been part of the 2019 Chinese Lunar Exploration Program and the first soft landing on the Moon's far side.
Preparation for the latest interplanetary space mission comes after China launched its final Beidou navigation system satellite, which is competing with America's Global Positioning System (GPS). This will be their most ambitious trip to space yet.
In addition, they have plans to launch the lunar probe Chang'e 5 before the end of the year. Through 2022, China plans to build a permanent space station, the Modular Space Station Experiment II or Mengtian, which translates into 'dreaming of the heavens.'
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As their rovers arrive next year, the United States, United Arab Emirates, and China will all conduct scientific work on Mars. They'll also explore the Red Planet with astronauts for future flights.
Landing on Mars
They're looking for a time window before August 15 is because of the alignment of Mars and Earth is every 26 months. If they miss this window, everyone will have to keep their Mars missions until 2022, when the Red Planet will again be closer to Earth.
Scientists expect to find water signs on the Red Planet and potentially create whole civilizations there. The UAE has already started working in a desert near Dubai on its Martian city.
In partnership with the University of Colorado at Boulder Colorado, the Emirati will launch Amal, or 'Hope' in Arabic, by July 20. As with China, this is the first interplanetary mission of the country.
"The Mars probe is the first step of China's planetary exploration project," Engineer Ge Xiaochun from the China National Space Administration said. He added the coming launching mission has been highly recognized and supported by the international community.
