Between July and August this year, China will launch a Mars probe with the Long March V, the largest of the new generation of launch vehicles, CCTV reported Monday.
After launch, the Mars rover will arrive within the gravitational field of Mars in February next year and then reach Mars after being captured by the Mars, the report quoted Bao Weimin, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The closest Mars is to Earth, at a distance of about 55 million kilometers, and how the probe is successfully captured by Mars' gravitational field after a long flight is one of the key points in the mission.
If the capture fails, the probe will brush up against Mars.
Bao Weimin said that the capture is critical, after the capture into the circular orbit of Mars, and after many adjustments, then the orbiting exploration.
The Chinese Mars Rover consists of an orbiter and a landing rover, which will make a soft landing on the surface of Mars and release the Mars rover for roving exploration on the Martian surface.
The rover will remain on Mars for 90 Mars days and will carry out a number of missions, including roving exploration and the study of geomorphological features on Mars.
A day on Mars is slightly longer than a day on Earth, roughly 24 hours and 37 minutes a day, and the Mars rover is designed to last 90 days on Mars, 90 Mars days or more than three months on our planet.
