The Tainwen-1 was launched in July 2020 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China.
CNSA/cnsa.gov.cn
- China has captured spectacular images with its Tianwen-1 orbiter.
- It has been orbiting Mars since February 2021.
- The photo subjects include a Martian polar ice cap and a “selfie” of the Tianwen-1 orbiter.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has published a set of four images taken on its Tianwen-1 mission.
The images include a photo of the mission’s orbiter, a photo of an ice cap at the north pole of the planet, and a red plain.
The Tainwen-1 was launched in July 2020 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China. Despite having been launched some time ago, it still has enough power to function effectively.
The mission has transmitted almost 540 gigabytes of data, according to CNSA.
The orbiter has now been able to take a photo of itself, thanks to a camera that was launched into orbit around 217 million miles from Earth.
The mission has transmitted almost 540 gigabytes of data, according to CNSA.
CNSA/cnsa.gov.cn
Andrew Jones, a journalist who specializes in China’s space program, tweeted a video of the camera whirling off into space.
The other images show the Martian surface.
One shows a high-quality image of one of the planet’s characteristic red barren plains.;
The orbiter traveled 295 million miles to reach Mars’ orbit.
CNSA/cnsa.gov.cn
The most striking photo, however, is the one showing the polar ice cap.
It shows a layer of ice covering almost everything in sight.
The Zhurong rover is now the sixth rover to successfully land on the planet.
CNSA/cnsa.gov.cn
The orbiter traveled 295 million miles to reach Mars’ orbit.
From there, it carried out a landing operation, sending the Zhurong rover to the Martian surface.
This is now the sixth rover to successfully land on the planet.
