China’s 2020 Mars mission is going ahead despite the pandemic

The mission, on track for a July launch despite the Covid-19 pandemic, is named Heavenly Questions after the classical Chinese poem Tianwen

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In November last year, China completed a key landing test for the 2020 Mars mission in Hebei province. (Picture: Reuters)

Published: 4:19pm, 24 Apr 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

China’s Mars mission is moving ahead as planned despite disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And now the mission has a name: Tianwen-1.

The China National Space Administration announced the name of the Mars probe mission on Friday. Tianwen, or Heavenly Questions, is a classical Chinese poem written around 300 BC by Qu Yuan, one of ancient China’s greatest poets. The poem, which raised questions about the sky and stars, has been described as “the written treasure of Chinese mythology.”

The unmanned Tianwen-1 Mars mission is scheduled to launch in July, coinciding with a window occurring every 26 months that allows for the minimal use of propellant. It will take up to seven months for the probe to reach the red planet.

The probe is expected to be launched by China’s Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket. The mission includes orbiting, landing and roving.

In its announcement, the CNSA also unveiled the official logo for the Mars mission, saying that all future planetary exploration missions will be named as part of the Tianwen series.