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China’s Tianwen-1 probe send back its first landing image

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BEIJING – China National Space Administration(CNSA) releases two photos and two videos captured by Tianwen-1 probe during landing on the Mars on Wednesday.

The lander carrying a rover of the Tianwen-1 mission touched down in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a vast plain on the northern hemisphere of Mars, on May 15. It’s China’s first probe to land on the Mars.

The first black and white image, was taken by an obstacle avoidance camera installed in front of the Mars rover.

The image shows that a ramp on the lander has been extended to the surface of Mars. The terrain of the rover’s forward direction is clearly visible in the image, and the horizon of Mars appears curved due to the wide-angle lens.

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It is said that the second color image was taken by the navigation camera fitted to the rear of the rover. The rover’s solar panels and antenna are seen unfolded, and the red soil and rocks on the Martian surface are clearly visible in the image.

The probe also sent back a video taken by a camera on the orbiter, showing how the lander and the rover separated from the orbiter during landing.