China’s Tianwen-1 unmanned spacecraft has recently captured comprehensive imagery data of Mars, including images from the southern polar region of the planet.
According to Reuters, Chinese state media reported on June 29 that the country’s unmanned spacecraft has successfully obtained imagery data of the entire Mars, including images from its southern pole.
The Tianwen-1 spacecraft has gathered complete images of Mars after orbiting the planet over 1,300 times since early 2021.
Tianwen-1 spacecraft captures imagery of Mars. (Photo: CNSA/REUTERS)
According to Chinese media, Tianwen-1 successfully landed on the surface of Mars in February 2021, marking Beijing’s first mission to the planet.
Subsequently, the Zhurong rover was deployed to explore the Martian surface, while an orbital survey spacecraft monitored the planet from space.
Among the images captured by Tianwen-1 from space are photos of the southern pole of Mars, which contains most of the planet’s water.
In 2018, an orbital probe operated by the European Space Agency discovered water beneath the ice at the southern pole of Mars.
The discovery of subsurface water is crucial for determining the potential for sustaining life on the planet, as well as providing a long-term resource for any human exploration there, Reuters reported.
Other images sent back by Tianwen-1 include photos of the Valles Marineris canyon, which is 4,000 km long, and impact craters in the northern highlands of Mars, known as Arabia Terra.
Tianwen-1 also transmitted high-resolution images of the vast Maunder crater and overhead shots of Ascraeus Mons, which stands 18,000 meters tall. This large shield volcano was first discovered by NASA’s Mariner 9 spacecraft over five decades ago.
