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Success makes China one of the main competitors of what some see as a new era of competition.
By Steven Lee Myers and Kenneth Chang
The United States now has companies on Mars.
A Chinese spacecraft descended through the thin Martian environment and landed safely on a giant plain Saturday morning, state media reported, accomplishing a feat that only two other countries had ever had before (in the United States, it is still on Friday at 7:18 pm Time: when the spacecraft landed).
The landing follows China’s launch last month of the core module of a new orbiting area station, as well as a successful project in December that collected roughly 4 pounds of rock and soil on the Moon and brought it to Earth. Next month, the country plans to send 3 astronauts to the area, ushering in what could be a normal Chinese presence in Earth orbit.
Arriving on Mars and in orbit in February, China’s program has shown its position among the leading agencies exploring the solar system. Now that it has made a landing, with a rover deployment yet to come, it has established itself as a major competitor in what some see as a new era of competition.
“China’s successful landing on Mars shows the world that there is a country with complex interplanetary area capabilities,” said Namrata Goswami, an independent analyst and co-author of a new e-book on area exploration, “Scramble for the Skies. “
Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Administrator for Science, sent his congratulations to China. “Together with the global clinical community, I look forward to the contributions this project will make to understanding humanity on the Red Planet,” he wrote on Twitter.
As of Friday, China’s National Space Administration had said little about its landing plans, in keeping with its same old secret about operations. However, news of the near landing of the drawing began to spread on social media and in official reports, indicating that it is imminent.
Chinese state television did not report the landing live, but then faithful hours of programming to the mission. The country’s leader, Xi Jinping, sent a message to scientists and business officials in the area praising the feat.
“This is a vital milestone in our country’s aerospace efforts,” he said. “He has had the courage to take on challenges, he has strived for excellence and has led our country to the global forefront of interplanetary exploration. “
The Tianwen-1 mission, unveiled from Earth last July, aims to take advantage of both the one- and two-year time window when Mars and Earth are closest to each other in their travels around the sun.
The project consists of an orbiter, a landing module and a rover.
China’s project to Mars includes a probe that will parachute the planet.
A parachute to a protective COQUILLE will slow down the descent of the landing module, then a set of STRUTS will be deployed in flight. Once on the surface, a RAMPE will slide so that the rover can start.
A parachute to a protective COQUILLE will slow down the descent, then a set of STRUTS will be deployed in flight. After landing, a RAMPA slides so the rover can start.
Once the orbiter reaches Mars, the landing probe will detach and descend to the planet’s surface.
Four solar panel wings will be deployed after landing.
A parachute to shell will slow down the descent. Then 4 STRUTS will be deployed in flight. After landing, a RAMPA slides so the rover can start.
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