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"Tianwen-1"
Photo: CNSA / dpa
The Chinese Mars probe "Tianwen-1" has reached an orbit around Mars.
The official Xinhua news agency reported the success on Wednesday.
For the maneuver, the probe had to reduce its speed in order to be captured by the gravitational pull of Mars.
In May, "Tianwen-1" will then land a rover that will explore Mars for around three months.
The device, which weighs 200 kilograms, will examine the planet's atmosphere and soil, record images and thus make a contribution to mapping the surface of Mars.
So far, only the US has managed to deploy a rover on Mars.
more on the subject
"Tianwen-1": Chinese space probe sends first image of Mars
Mission of the United Arab Emirates: Mars probe "Hope" reaches orbit of the red planet
Recently the probe itself took a closer look at Mars.
In early February, the Chinese space agency CNSA published the first picture that the device had taken of the red planet.
The black and white image was taken around 2.2 million kilometers from Mars (read more here).
Tianwen means "questions to heaven".
Exclusive club
The probe was launched into space almost seven months ago, on July 23, 2020, from the southern Chinese island of Hainan.
The mission is not China's first attempt to reach Mars.
A first attempt in 2011 together with Russia was canceled after a failed start.
On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe had already reached Mars orbit.
The first interplanetary space mission of an Arab state should give the modernization of the Emirates a boost.
The US rover Perseverance is also scheduled to land on Mars on February 18.
With “Hope” and “Tianwen-1”, the Emirates and China have made it into an exclusive club: So far, only the former Soviet Union, the USA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and India have managed missions to Mars.
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