China's Tianwen-1 probe to land on Mars

BEIJING - The lander and rover of China's Tianwen-1 mission is expected to land on Mars at an appropriate time from the early morning of May 15 to May 19 (Beijing time), according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The Tianwen-1 probe has functioned normally since its successful launch on July 23, 2020, the CNSA said Friday, adding that the probe entered the Martian orbit on Feb 10, 2021 and has obtained a large amount of scientific data.

According to the evaluation of its flight status, the probe is scheduled to land on Utopia Planitia on Mars, the CNSA said.

Tianwen-1 is designed to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission.