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Matt Ho

China’s Mars orbiter has beamed back high-resolution images, revealing geographic features of the red planet in detail.
The photos taken by Tianwen-1 come a week after the United States released a panorama of the Martian surface snapped by the rover Perseverance.
They also come as China prepares to unveil a new five-year plan centred on science and hi-tech innovation, with aerospace technology expected to be a priority programme.
Chinese mission spokesman Liu Tongjie told state television that two of the orbiter’s images were snapped at an altitude of about 330km (205 miles) and had a resolution down to 70cm (27 inches), revealing fine details of the Martian landscape.
“These two pictures clearly show craters, mountain ridges and dunes,” said Liu, from the China National Space Administration.
“One image shows a crater with a diameter of about 620 metres and clearly displays the lines at the bottom of the crater.” 
A colour photo was taken of the northern polar region at an altitude of 5,000km.
Li Chunlai, a deputy chief designer of the Mars mission, told state television the observations would help scientists understand and monitor how sandstorms formed on the planet.
China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates each launched Mars missions in July last year and all three arrived successfully last month.
Tianwen-1 entered its parking orbit on February 24 and has started doing scientific surveys using cameras and a spectrometer. The landing module and rover will begin their descent in May or June, according to state media.


The Chinese rover, which is yet to be named, is expected to operate for 90 days after touchdown.
Perseverance, which landed at the Jezero Crater on February 18, has since sent images on the ground back to Nasa.
Last week, Nasa released a 360-degree panorama from the rover created by stitching together 142 individual images taken by its Mastcam-Z camera system. Nasa is expected to provide updates on Perseverance on Friday.

Meanwhile, the China Manned Space Engineering Office said on Thursday that it would launch several missions this year to build China’s space station, which is expected to be completed around 2022 and include an on-board laboratory.
The office said the core module of the space station and its carrier Long March 5B (Y2) heavy-lift rocket were scheduled to launch in the first half of this year from Wenchang, Hainan province, according to military and state media. There would be four manned space station construction missions and all mission crew members were undergoing training.
It said China was committed to making the space station an open platform for international science and technological exchange. A first batch of experiments to be conducted at the station had already been shortlisted jointly with the United Nations.


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Science

China’s Tianwen-1 zooms in on Mars surface on cusp of new tech era

China says observations from its Tianwen-1 orbiter will help to understand how sandstorms form on the surface of Mars. Photo: Reuters/CNSA

HANDOUT - 24 February 2021, ---: A panoramic picture provided by NASA on 24 February 2021, shows the rim of the Jezero Crater where the Mars Perseverance rover landed on the Red Planet last week. The photo was stitched together by NASA researchers from 142 images taken by the Mastcam-Z camera on 21 February. Photo: -/NASA/dpa - ATTENTION: editorial use only and only if the credit mentioned above is referenced in full

An image of Mars taken by China's Tianwen-1 unmanned probe is seen in this handout image released by China National Space Administration (CNSA) March 4, 2021. CNSA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

China space programme: Tianwen-1 enters Mars’ parking orbit ahead of touchdown in May

China’s Tianwen-1 probe, seen en route to Mars, is set to touchdown on the red planet in May. Photo: AP

In this July 23, 2020, file photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, spectators watch as a Long March-5 rocket carrying the Tianwen-1 Mars probe lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province. China is falling in love with space, inspired by the ruling Communist Party's increasingly ambitious missions over the past two decades to fire humans into orbit and explore the moon and Mars. (Yang Guanyu/Xinhua via AP, File)

Nasa set to land Perseverance rover and helicopter on Mars

An illustration of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars after launching from the Perseverance rover. Photo: Nasa

Undated handout of a composite of images from Mars orbit depicting a possible route to be taken by Perseverance rover across Jerezo Crater. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT

The entry, descent and landing (EDL) sequence of the Perseverance rover on Mars, set for Febuary 18, 2021, is shown in this undated illustration handout. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT

An illustration of how Nasa's Perseverance rover should landing safely on Mars. Photo: EPA

First photo of Mars from UAE’s ‘Hope’ space probe

The first image of Mars taken by the Hope probe. Photo: EPA

epa08999520 A handout photo made available by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) shows an illustration of the arrival of the Hope Probe to Mars orbit (issued on 09 February 2021). The Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe is the first planetary mission led by an Arab-Islamic country and the space probe is to study the Martian atmosphere. EPA-EFE/MBRSC/UAE Space Agency HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

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China


Eye in the sky snaps photos of craters and dunes below and will monitor how sandstorms form on the red planet
Chinese authorities say they will launch four manned missions this year to build a space station



Eye in the sky snaps photos of craters and dunes below and will monitor how sandstorms form on the red planet.


China technology

Space

Technology