China's first Mars probe enters red planet's orbit

China's first Mars probe Tianwen-1 has successfully entered the orbit of the red planet after a crucial "brake" to decelerate and be captured by Mars gravity, according to China National Space Administration.

The administration said that the probe's systems are in good condition and will later shift orbits and begin to detect the preliminary landing areas.

It's scheduled to make a landing on the red plant when the chance comes, around May and June, to begin scientific surveys.

Tianwen-1 was launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket on July 23. It has flown for 202 days and covered nearly 470 million kilometers on its journey to Mars.

During the time, it conducted a deep-space orbital maneuver and four midcourse corrections to make sure it heads in the right direction to Mars.