Known as the Hope probe, it provides details of the structure and variability of the Martian atmosphere using a number of onboard cameras and scientific instruments.
The Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite is scheduled to launch Wednesday (Dec. 22) from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, during a two-hour window that opens at 9:33 a.m. EST (1433 GMT). Watch it live!
The UAE spacecraft, due to be launched to Venus in 2028, will later study the asteroid belts between Mars and Jupiter before landing on an asteroid 350 million miles from Earth in 2033.
China s Tianwen-1 Mars mission delivers first gorgeous high-def images
China s intrepid spacecraft got a glorious eyeful of Mars. Listen - 01:39
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This color view of Mars is one of the first high-def images of the planet sent back by China s Tianwen-1 probe. CNSA
China s ambitious Tianwen-1 mission has given us some new, high-definition views of Mars to marvel over. In early February, we saw the spacecraft s first haunting view of the red planet. The new snapshots are much more detailed.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) shared the images on Thursday. Perhaps the most striking is a color view of Mars north pole. Two other images are black-and-white views of scenic craters and ridges on the surface.
Gulf country celebrates Arab world’s first interplanetary mission after tricky maneuver succeeds; minister says achievement opens 'broad range of possibilities'