Russia and China cooperated to explore Mars

China 's China Daily published yesterday (March 28) that Russia and China will start a joint mission to explore Mars in 2009, marking an 'important milestone' in space cooperation. between the two countries.

According to the newspaper, a Chinese satellite will be launched on Mars on a Russian rocket, according to the agreement signed on March 26 between the two countries' space agency.

The deal, signed during a three-day Russian visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao, follows Moscow's commitments to strengthen cooperation with Beijing in exploring both Mars and Moon.

Accordingly, a small Chinese-designed satellite will be launched with Russia's Phobos Explorer around October 2009. After entering the orbit of Mars, 10-11 months later, the satellite will be separated from Russian ships and conduct exploration of the space of the Red planet. The Phobos Explorer, which carries a piece of equipment made by Hong Kong Polytechnic scientists, will land at Phobos, a Mars moon, and return to Earth with rock samples.

This mission may help to provide information about the origins of the Solar System and the Earth.

Picture 1 of Russia and China cooperated to explore Mars
Mars image taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) (Photo: AFP)

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