China's Tianwen-1 adjusts orbital inclination before Mars landing

China's Tianwen-1 probe on Monday conducted a plane change maneuver at the apogee of the Mars orbit to adjust the orbital inclination of its flight.

On February 10, the probe successfully entered the orbit around Mars after a nearly seven-month voyage from Earth.

The rover is expected to land on the Red Planet in May or June

Tianwen-1 will then brake at the periareion, the point in the orbit that is closest to Mars, and adjust its orbital period to ensure that the spacecraft's track passes the preset landing site.

When the Chinese probe reaches the periareion for the second time, it will brake again to perform an orbital maneuver and make sure the lander and rover of Tianwen-1 can complete the landing on Mars at the scheduled time and place.

Finally, Tianwen-1 will decelerate again and take pictures of the landing area. It will select the optimal point in the orbit to make the lander-rover combination separate from the orbiter and enter the Martian atmosphere.

China's Tianwen-1 probe, including an orbiter, a lander and a rover, successfully entered the orbit around Mars on Wednesday after a nearly seven-month voyage from Earth.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)