China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) on Thursday released high-resolution images of Mars captured by the country’s Tianwen-1 probe.
These images include two panchromatic images and one color image, the CNSA said.
The panchromatic images were taken with the Tianwen-1 high-resolution camera at a distance of 330 to 350 km above the surface of Mars, with a resolution of about 0.7 meters.
In the images, Martian landscapes such as small cracks, mountain ridges and forts can be seen. The diameter of the largest impact pit in the images is estimated to be around 620 meters.
The color image of the North Pole region of the red planet is taken with the medium resolution camera, the CNSA said.
The high-resolution camera, medium-resolution camera, spectrometer and other scientific equipment on board the orbiter have been successfully turned on to collect data.
The mid-range camera is capable of both automatic and remote control display, allowing sensitive images of the entire Mars universe to map and study the planet’s topography.
China launched Tianwen-1 on July 23, 2020. The spacecraft, which contained an orbiter, lander and rover, crashed into the parking orbit around Mars after orbitalization on Feb. 24.
Tianwen-1 probe has been conducting scientific studies since February 26th.