NASA's Perseverance, China's Tianwen-1 and UAE's Hope Arrive at Mars This Month
aristarchus and an anonymous submitter write:
Seems like the solar system is getting smaller all the time. Three nations are having Mars missions land (hopefully) this month, something that has never happened before. Detail at C|Net, and elsewhere.
July 2020 was a huge month for Mars. Taking advantage of its nearby position in orbit, three missions departed the Earth on a seven-month journey to the red planet. Now those spacecraft -- NASA's Perseverance rover, the Chinese space agency's Tianwen-1 and the United Arab Emirates' Hope -- are arriving at their destination. They're poised to uncover the secrets our celestial neighbor hides within its atmosphere and barren plains and may even reveal relics of ancient life on the planet's surface.
Although all three spacecraft will make it to orbit around Mars this month, NASA's Perseverance (or "Percy") gets to take center stage. It will be the only mission to land on the surface this month, with an expected arrival date of Feb. 18. Perseverance builds on an impressive history of interplanetary exploration, with its sibling rover Curiosity coming up on nine years on Mars, delivering breathtaking photographs and some puzzling data.
That's not to take anything away from the UAE's Hope, or Al Amal, and China's Tianwen-1. Both spacecraft are expected to perform Mars orbital insertion, or MOI, maneuvers within a day of each other on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, respectively. Hope will remain in orbit and analyze the Martian atmosphere, but Tianwen-1 will attempt something only achieved by two other nations: landing on Mars' unfriendly surface. China is expected to release Tianwen-1's lander and rover duo sometime in May.
Here's a recap of the journey to Mars and what we can expect this month.
Previously:
China's Tianwen-1 Mars Probe Delivers its First Haunting Look at the Planet
Three Missions to Mars Happening this Month
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