China launches first mission to Mars

China launched its first independent probe headed to Mars at 12.41 pm on Thursday, a significant milestone in Beijing's mission to build a world-class space program, Report says, citing Xinhua.

According to Chinese media, the probe, Tianwen-1, was launched via a Long March-5 rocket from Hainan island and is expected to reach Mars' gravitational field in February 2021.

Upon a successful landing, the probe is expected to work for at least 90 Mars days, which is longer than three months on Earth. Bao Weimin, an academic with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua news agency in June that the landing will be the most challenging part of the mission, involving a four-step process that will take seven to eight minutes.

China's Mars probe consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The lander and rover will make a soft landing on the surface, and afterward, the rover will study the planet's surface, atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetic field.