Tianwen-1 and China's Mars exploration program

Abstract

Abstract About every 26 months, the distance between Earth and Mars reaches a minimum, and that is the best time window for Mars exploration from Earth. In July 2020, three spacecraft started their journey to Mars: the Hope orbiter of the United Arab Emirates, the Tianwen-1 mission of China and the Perseverance rover of the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). If all go well, these spacecraft will reach Martian orbit in February 2021 and start their scientific observations. Tianwen-1 is China's first mission to Mars. It includes an orbiter, a lander and a rover. It carries 13 scientific payloads and will investigate the topography, soil composition, water-ice distribution, internal structure, atmospheric environment and physical fields (electromagnetic and gravitational) of Mars. In this interview, we talked with the mission's Chief Scientist Yongxin Pan (潘永信) and Scientific Payload Sub-System Director Chi Wang (王赤) about this scientific mission and China's future plans for Mars exploration.