China to launch 1st Mars probe in 2013

Monday, 29 August 2011 20:34 Written by People Daily

Qi Faren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of Shenzhou spaceships, indicated on Jan. 16 that China is expected to launch the first Mars probe in 2013. The probe, Yinghuo-1(YH-1), was due to blast off in October 2009 with Russia's "Phobos Explorer" from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but the launch was postponed. Qi Faren disclosed that China and Russia will launch the first Mars probe this year. By 2013, there will be a minimum distance betwee ...