China’s Tianwen 1 Mars mission marks 1st full year in orbit

It’s been a year since China’s first-ever independent interplanetary mission reached Mars, and in that time, Tianwen 1 has made major achievements while also delivering a number of surprises.

The Tianwen 1 spacecraft entered orbit around the Red Planet on Feb. 10, 2021. Shortly after, the China National Space Administration released epic footage of the event, showing the orbiter pass behind Mars as it fired engines to slow down and enter orbit.