China Launches Tianwen-1 Mars Mission from Wenchang Space Launch Center

China launched Tianwen-1, its first mission to Mars, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island on Thursday, July 23.

The mission includes an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, and was launched aboard a Long March 5 rocket to cheers from onlookers on nearby beaches.

According to the China National Space Administration, the journey to Mars will take six to seven months, with the probe expected to reach the Red Planet around February 2021. Credit: CNSA via Storyful