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China prepares to launch rocket for Mars mission

Friday, 17 July 2020 1:11 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 17 July 2020 1:11 PM ]

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This screen grab from footage shows the Chinese Long March-5 Y4 rocket.

The fourth Long March-5 rocket, to be used to carry out China's first Mars exploration mission, was vertically transported to the launching area at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province on Friday.

The carrier rocket, coded as Long March-5 Y4, is planned to be launched in late July or early August, according to the China National Space Administration.

Every 26 months, Mars reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit, and the nearest launch window to Mars is this year, at which time launching a spacecraft will use the least amount of fuel.

Space engineers have conducted a general assembly and tests on the rocket, after it was transported to Wenchang at the end of May.

It took about two hours to vertically transport the large rocket to the launching area of the center Friday morning. Final examinations and tests will be conducted on the rocket before the launch.

(Source: Reuters)

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