China’s National Space Administration said in a statement that vehicles consisting of orbital satellite, lander and rover robot have been in a sleep state since mid-September.
It was noted that the “sun blackout”, which refers to the situation where Mars and Earth are located on two separate sides of the Sun and communication between the two planets is cut off due to increased radiation, will last until mid-October.
The Tienvin-1 mission was launched on July 23, 2020, and the exploration vehicles reached the Red Planet on February 10, 2021.
The mission of “Tienwin”, which means “to seek the truth in the heavens” in Chinese, takes its name from the lines of the Chinese poet Zhou Yuen, who lived in the 4th century BC. The mobile robot is named after Curong, the god of fire and war in Chinese mythology.
In recent years, China has emerged as a new power in the space race led by the USA and Russia with its ambitious steps towards Moon and Mars exploration missions, satellite technology and manned space expeditions.
China, which has made significant progress in developing a self-sufficient space program with the satellites, rockets, shuttles, reconnaissance vehicles and other equipment it has produced in the last 20 years, is working to establish its own space station in addition to the lunar exploration program Chang-i.
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