Tianwen-1

Mission Profile

Prime Contractors

Companies that built, launched, or operate this mission. Tickers link to their investor profile.

• China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)
• China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
• Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Tech

Overview

Tianwen-1 is China's first independent interplanetary mission and the first ever to deliver an orbiter, lander, and rover to Mars on the country's first attempt. Launched in July 2020 on a Long March 5 from Wenchang, Tianwen-1 entered Mars orbit in February 2021 and on 14 May 2021 successfully delivered the Zhurong rover to Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in the northern lowlands. Zhurong (named after a Chinese god of fire) operated for roughly one Mars year, covering about 1.9 km across the surface and returning ground-penetrating radar data that revealed layered subsurface structure consistent with episodic flooding events in Mars's history. The rover entered hibernation in May 2022 ahead of the Martian winter and dust season but failed to wake up — the leading hypothesis is dust accumulation on its solar panels. The Tianwen-1 orbiter, however, continues to operate in extended mission mode, mapping Mars's surface and atmosphere with its high-resolution camera, sounding radar, magnetometer, and ion-and-neutral particle analyzer. Tianwen-1 made China only the second nation, after the United States, to successfully operate a rover on Mars.

Key Milestones

1. 2020-07-23

   Launch on Long March 5 from Wenchang

2. 2021-02-10

   Mars Orbit Insertion

3. 2021-05-14

   Zhurong rover lands in Utopia Planitia

4. 2022-05-18

   Zhurong enters planned winter hibernation

5. 2023-04-25

   CNSA confirms Zhurong has not woken from hibernation

Related Missions

Sources

1. CNSA — Tianwen-1
2. Nature — Tianwen-1 Science Results