China on the interplanetary exploration path
China has launched a space probe that promises to bring samples from an asteroid near Mars, as well as produce « innovative discoveries and expand humanity’s knowledge of cosmos, » said the country’s space agency.
The Tianwen-2 probe was launched at dawn on Thursday of southern China. It will collect samples of the 2016HO3 asteroid and explore comet 311p, which is even further from the land than Mars, according to the China National Space Administration.
Shan Zhongde, director of CNSA, said the Tianwen-2 mission represents a « significant step in China’s new interplanetary exploration journey » and that, throughout its decade mission, will « produce innovative discoveries and expand humanity’s knowledge of the cosmos. »
2016HO3 samples should be delivered within two years. Asteroids, chosen by their relatively stable orbits, should provide clues about the formation of the earth, namely about the origins of water.
China has already managed to bring rocha samples from the moon-out side of the moon on a historic mission and has settled with international cooperation.
However, any cooperation with the US depends on the elimination of an American law that prohibits direct bilateral cooperation with NASA.
Other Spatial Projects on the Gutter
The closest side of the moon is seen from the earth and the farthest side is facing the outdoor space. The farthest side is known to have impact mountains and craters and is much harder to achieve.
China also operates the Tiangong space station – or ‘Heavenly Palace’ – with a capacity of three crew, which makes the country an important actor in a new space of space exploration and the use of permanent stations to conduct experience in space, especially since the station was entirely built in China after the country was excluded from the International Space Station for US national security reasons.
China’s space program is controlled by the popular liberation army, the communist party’s military branch in power, and has grown rapidly in over 20 years since it first placed a man in space.
The space agency landed an unmanned device on Mars and a Rover across the moon. Its goal is to put a person on the moon before 2030.
A future Tianwen-4 mission will explore Jupiter.
