China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft successfully lands on Mars, second country to do so after US

Tasting success on the red planet, China successfully landed on the surface of Mars on Saturday, according to Xinhua news agency. The Tianwen-1 spacecraft landed on a vast plain known as Utopia Planitia on Mars, making China the second country after the US to step onto Mars. The US' 'Perseverance' rover landed on Mars in February 2020 - marking a first for mankind.

China lands on Mars

Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a message of congratulations to the entire team saying, "You were brave enough for the challenge, pursued excellence and placed our country in the advanced ranks of planetary exploration. Your outstanding achievement will forever be etched in the memories of the motherland and the people".

Xinhua stated that the spacecraft left its parked orbit at about 1700 GMT Friday and the landing module separated from the orbiter three hours later, entering Mars' atmosphere. As per reports, the lander module safely landed on the red planet at 2318 GMT and the rover took more than 17 minutes to unfold its solar panels and antenna and send signals to ground controllers. The named Zhurong, will now survey the landing site before departing from its platform to conduct inspections. Zhurong - named after the mythical Chinese god of fire, has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera to study the planet's surface soil and atmosphere and  look for signs of ancient life, as per reports.

China's Long March 5B crashes into Indian Ocean

Last week, remnants of China's biggest rocket 'Long march 5B' landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with the bulk of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, according to Chinese state media. As per China Manned Space Engineering Office, the point of impact in the ocean has been zeroed at the west of the Maldives archipelago. China has maintained that its out-of-control rocket posed 'very little risk for objects on the ground'.

Chinese state media reported parts of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere at 10:24 a.m. Beijing time (0224 GMT) and landed at a location with the coordinates of longitude 72.47 degrees east and latitude 2.65 degrees north. While several countries were expecting massive debris as Long March 5B blasted off from China's Hainan island on April 29, the  China Manned Space Engineering Office said most of the debris was burnt up in the atmosphere. Last year, pieces from the first Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings but no injuries were reported.

(With Agency inputs)