(CNN)After traveling through space for seven months, China’s Tianwen-1 probe has reached Mars and successfully entered the planet’s orbit on Wednesday — bringing it one step closer to landing on the surface.
Tianwen-1, whose name means “quest for heavenly truth,” is made up of an orbiter, lander and a six-wheeled rover carrying scientific instruments, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA.)
The CNSA said it will gather important information about Mars’ geological structure, atmosphere, environment and soil, and search for any signs of water. The spacecraft is expected to land on the planet’s surface in May or June.
The Tianwen-1 makes China the sixth country in history to reach Mars.
Employees at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center BACC in Beijing, China, on October 9, 2020, after the Tianwen-1 probe successfully conducted a deep-space maneuver.
Tianwen-1 was launched last July, along with two other international Mars missions: NASA’s Perseverance rover and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope Probe.
All three missions launched around the same time due to an alignment between Mars and the Earth on the same side of the sun, making for a more efficient journey to the red planet.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is expected to land on Mars on February 18.
So far, the United States and the former Soviet Union are the only two countries to land a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. But the European Space Agency and India have previously sent spacecraft to enter the planet’s orbit — and on Tuesday, the UAE joined their ranks, with its Hope Probe successfully entering orbit.
With Tianwen-1, China is the first nation to attempt sending both an orbiter and a rover on its first homegrown Mars mission. According to the scientific team behind the mission, the probe will “orbit, land and release a rover all on the very first try, and coordinate observations with an orbiter.”
