China names first exploration mission on Mars

China has unveiled the name of its first Mars exploration mission on Friday, April 24.

The revelation coincides with China’s annual Space Day and the 50th anniversary of the launch of its first satellite.

Xinhua news agency reported that the Mars mission is named ”Tianwen-1”, citing the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The unmanned exploration mission to Mars is expected to be launched this year.

The name ”Tianwen-1” (Questions to Heaven) comes from a poem written by a man, Qu Yuan, who lived more than two millennia ago. In the poem, questions were raised about stars and other celestial bodies.

Meanwhile, the CNSA said all of China’s planetary exploration missions in the future would be named “Tianwen” to signify the country’s scientific pursuits in space.

China successfully launched its first satellite, the Dongfanghong-1, in 1970.

In 2003, it became the third country to put a man in space with its rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States.