A Long March 5 rocket will blast off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in China sometime in late July or early August, carrying three explorers on board in a mission by China's space agency called Tianwen-1.
Merely days before launch, some of the biggest questions about the mission are still unanswered.
China's historic moon mission, known as Chang'e-4, is one of the nation's crowning achievements. Last year in January, the China National Space Agency (CNSA) successfully landed a rover to the far side of the moon – a first for mankind.
And while we're all used to live broadcasts of launches, like what NASA and SpaceX do, Chang'e-4's launch was not livestreamed at all. There was no real-time broadcast and no photos of the team celebrating.
So know where the launch site is, but as to when the launch of Tianwen-1 is remains a mystery. On July 14, China Daily reported the spacecraft had been transported to the launch facilityk, ready for lift-off.
Apart from that, we also know that Tianwen-1 carries a lander, a rover, and an orbiter –it's an all-in-one probe
"Tianwen-1 is going to orbit, land and release a rover all on the very first try, and coordinate observations with an orbiter," the mission's chief scientist wrote in a short article for the journal Nature Astronomy on July 13. "No planetary missions have ever been implemented in this way."
In the article, Tianwen-1's five main objectives were reiterated. Those objectives, according to CNET:
- Create a geological map of the Red Planet
- Observe the Martian soil's characteristics and locate potential water-ice deposits
- Make an analysis of the surface material composition
- Understand the gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the planet
- Understand the atmosphere of Mars and its surface climate
Aside from China, the UAE and NASA also have Mars missions. The UAE already sent out its Hope orbiter to space while NASA is set to launch the Perseverance rover on July 30. Perseverance carries with it the Ingenuity helicopter on its belly, which is to become the first vehicle to fly across the surface of another planet.
Tianwen-1 will reach Mars in February 2021, at the same time as NASA's Perseverance rover and the United Arab Emirates' Hope orbiter.
