The interplanetary mission from china has finished mapping the Red Planet more than a year after its arrival.
The Tianwen 1 orbiter utilized its medium-resolution camera to capture the surface of Mars; the spacecraft also achieved the science objectives assigned to the six additional scientific payloads on board. This milestone implies that the orbiter and the Zhurong rover, which assisted Tianwen 1 on their journey to Mars, have now finished their planned scientific exploration tasks.
The agency also disclosed new images that exhibit several surface details on Mars as captured by Tianwen 1.
According to CSNA, Tianwen 1 arrived on Mars in February 2021 and has finished 1,344 orbits till June 29th.
Once the rover landed on the surface, the orbiter mainly provided communications relay assistance for Zhurong until November, when the spacecraft changed its orbit to start its science program, as well as surveying the planet.
“The pair will continue their work despite completing primary objectives, “CNSA officials wrote. Tianwen 1 will be utilized later this year for an aerobraking experiment, trying to slow down the spacecraft through friction from the Martian atmosphere in preparation for Tianwen 3. It’s a complex Mars sample return mission hoped to launch in 2028
Zhurong, which has traveled 6,304 feet on Mars, is presently hibernating because of the winter in Mars’s northern hemisphere. The rover is supposed to resume activity after the beginning of local spring when its sensors observe higher levels of light from the sun reaching the vehicle.
