China's maiden space exploration mission to Mars has captured its first image of the red planet, some six months after the probe left Earth.
The uncrewed Tianwen-1 took the picture at a distance of around 2.2 million km (1.4 million miles) from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which supplied a black-and-white image.
The Tianwen-1 was launched in July from China's southern Hainan Island and expected to reach the orbit of Mars this month. In May, it will try to land in Utopia Planitia, a plain in the northern hemisphere, and deploy a rover to explore for 90 days.
If successful, the Tianwen-1 will make China the first country to orbit, land and deploy a rover in its inaugural mission to Mars, further boosting China's space credentials after it last year became the first nation to bring back samples from the moon since the 1970s.
Feb 06, 2021
ISRO to Launch iBrazilian, Indian Startup Satellite in First Mission of 2021
In its first mission in 2021, India's space agency ISRO planned to launch on February 28 Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 and three Indian payloads, including one built by a home-grown start-up.
The satellites are slated to be launched onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-51 at 10.28 am from the Sriharikota spaceport, over 100 km from Chennai.
Amazonia-1, reportedly the first earth observation satellite entirely developed by Brazil, is the primary payload.
Feb 05, 2021
Lithium Deposits Found in Karnataka
The Central Government has confirmed in a written reply to Lok Sabha about the presence of 1600 tonnes of lithium deposits in Mandya district of Karnataka. However, the significance and the quantity of the lithium in the region can only be confirmed after exploring the entire area. Further, commercial exploitation for the deposits can start only after the technical, social and economic feasibility studies are done.
Survey was done by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD).
AMD is a constituent unit under the Department of Atomic Energy.
Japan Scientists Study Source of High Heat on Asteroid
Japanese space experts said they are examining soil samples brought back from a distant asteroid in an attempt to find the source of heat that altered the celestial body, in their search for clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth.
A preliminary examination of 5.4-gram soil, which the Hayabusa2 spacecraft brought in December, has already been done.
Feb 04, 2021
SatSure Plans Remote Sensing Satellite Fleet
SatSure is planning to launch a fleet of remote sensing microsatellites from 2022 to meet the growing need of high-resolution satellite imagery across aviation, banking, insurance and transportation sectors. The satellites will be powered by hybrid-propulsion systems of Bellatrix Aerospace, a startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science.
SatSure will be the second Indian firm after Bengaluru-based Pixxel to look at its own earth observation satellite fleet. Pixxel's first satellite - Anand is expected to be launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in early 2021.
Feb 03, 2021
Stardust 1.0, The First Rocket to Run On Biofuel
On January 31, 2021 Stardust 1.0 was launched from Loring Commerce Centre in Maine, US, a former military base, becoming the first commercial space launch powered by biofuel, which is non-toxic for the environment as opposed to traditionally used rocket fuels.
The launch marked another historic first for Maine since Stardust 1.0 has become the first commercial rocket launch for the state located in the northeastern US.
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