China's first Mars exploration probe, Tianwen-1, completed a successful orbital maneuver in deep space yesterday and continued on its way to Mars, which it is estimated to be able to reach in four months. About it RIA Novosti with reference to the data of the Chinese National Space Administration.
The report says that the probe made a successful maneuver at a distance of 29,4 million km from Earth. To do this, on October 9 at 18:00 Moscow time, under the control of the flight control group, the main engine of the device was turned on for more than 480 seconds, thanks to which it was possible to successfully correct the orbit.
Recall that the Tianwen-1 probe was launched from the site of the Wenchang Cosmodrome on Hainan Island on July 23. Until yesterday, two successful orbital adjustments had already been made. It is assumed that the probe will be able to fly to Mars in four months and this will require another 2-3 corrections. The management noted that in order to reduce the deviation from the given flight path, an adjustment is being made, and an orbital maneuver is performed to change the current orbit and bring the probe to a new one.
If the mission is successful, the device will begin transmitting the received data to Earth next year. The probe must enter the orbit of Mars, remain on it for some time, and then land on the surface of the planet and then move along it. If everything goes according to plan, the researchers will be able to obtain data on the atmosphere of the Red Planet, the relief, the features of the magnetic field, etc. In addition, the device will look for signs that indicate the possibility of the existence of living organisms on Mars.
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Source: 3dnews.ru