China's Tianwen-1 probe beams back a fresh look at the planet Mars
China has almost reached the red planet.
The Chinese probe Tianwen-1 is just days away from entering orbit around Mars. That means it's already close enough to get some pretty good looks at Earth's neighbor, and one of those early looks has been beamed back home and released by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA).
The image was captured on Feb. 5 and released on Saturday. We know from CNSA's description that the view you're looking at is situated roughly 2.2 million kilometers (about 1.4 million miles) out from Tianwen-1's ultimate destination.
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The probe launched in July 2020, just a week ahead of NASA's July 30 launch that sent the Perseverance rover off on its own mission to explore Mars. Tianwen-1 is expected to enter Mars orbit on Feb. 10, after which it will circle the planet for several months before sending down a rover. The probe's arrival marks China's first successful mission to Mars, following a failed joint attempt with Russia in 2011.
NASA's probe should reach Mars orbit within the next two weeks. The Perseverance rover is expected to make its landing in the Jezero Crater on Feb. 18. The rover will also be joined by Ingenuity, a solar-powered helicopter drone that's meant to scout around the crater and highlight points of interest for Perseverance to focus on.
Overall, NASA's mission is meant to lay the groundwork for an eventual crewed journey to Mars. Together, the rover and drone will work to identify potentially habitable locations, test oxygen production, and gather and store samples for researchers.
Tianwen-1's imminent arrival at the planet is the latest sign of a tightening space race for the modern era.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
