China's Tianwen-1 probe enters parking orbit around Mars

China's Mars probe, Tianwen-1, successfully completed its third braking at 6:29 a.m. BJT and entered the parking orbit around Mars on Wednesday (Feb. 24), according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The probe will undertake scientific explorations in the orbit for three months while its cameras and spectrometers check the pre-selected landing site and the weather to prepare for landing.

The farthest point in the parking orbit is 59,000 kilometers from Mars and the nearest is 280 kilometers. It takes two Martian days for the probe to orbit around the Red Planet.

Tianwen-1 has traveled for 215 days since its launch on July 23, 2020. Presently, it is 212 million kilometers away from Earth.

(Source: CGTN)