China's Mars probe, Long March-5 carrier rocket arrive at launch site

China's Long March-5 carrier rocket and Mars probe arrive at its launch pad in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, July 17, 2020./CGTN

China's Mars probe, along with its Long March-5 carrier rocket, arrived at the launch pad in Wenchang City, in southern Hainan Province, on Friday morning, ready for the Tianwen-1 Mars mission scheduled for late July.

In the next few days, engineers and technicians will complete the final checks and preparations for China's first Mars exploration mission.

The Mars probe includes an orbiter, a lander and a rover. After around seven months of flight, the probe is expected to reach the Red Planet around February 2021. China aims to complete the orbiting, landing and exploration of Mars on one single launch, a feat never before achieved by any other country.

(CGTN's Wu Lei contributed to the story.)