BEIJING: China launched on Thursday its most ambitious Mars mission yet in a bold attempt to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet. And the US is aiming to launch Perseverance, its most sophisticated Mars rover ever, from Cape Canaveral, Florida next week. China’s tandem spacecraft — with both an orbiter and a rover — will take seven months to reach Mars, like the others. It also is fast-tracking, launching an orbiter and rover on the same mission instead of stringing them out. Six other spacecraft are exploring Mars from orbit: three American, two European and one from India.

Source: Manila Times July 23, 2020 17:15 UTC