China launches space rocket in ambitious Mars landing mission

Tianwen-1 mission attempts to put China in elite' club of countries conquering red planet

China has launched its most ambitious Mars mission yet in a bold attempt to join the US in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet.

With engines blazing orange, a Long March 5 carrier rocket took off on Thursday at about 12.40 pm local time (0540 BST) from Hainan Island, south of the Chinese mainland. Hundreds of space enthusiasts watched from a beach across the bay.