The China National Space Administration (CNSA) successfully completed on Thursday the first test of its Mars lander at a special site in the Hebei province in preparation for its 2020 HX-1 mission to the Red Planet, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene
HUAILAI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) The China National Space Administration (CNSA) successfully completed on Thursday the first test of its Mars lander at a special site in the Hebei province in preparation for its 2020 HX-1 mission to the Red Planet, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.
During the test, the lander detached from the main spacecraft, hovered to find a convenient place to land, and then descended while bypassing obstacles in simulated Martian gravity, which is only about 38 percent of the surface gravity on Earth.
Foreign guests, including diplomats, journalists and representatives of international organizations, were invited to observe the first test.
Earlier this year, China finished building the Mars rover that is to be used during the country's first mission to the planet.
The HX-1 mission includes the rover orbiting the planet, and landing and moving on the Martian surface. If Chinese scientists succeed, they will manage to examine the atmosphere, surface, geological structure, nature of the magnetic field of Mars. These findings could give insight into the planet's origin and evolution. The mission will also try to find possible traces of life on the neighboring planet and establish whether its will be suitable for human life.
