On July 23, at precisely 12:41 P.M. Beijing time, with the planets aligned in favorable ways, China launched its ambitious Mars probe mission from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island, a blast-off fueled by the country’s biggest “Long March” rocket, the CZ5.
The unmanned spacecraft, dubbed Tianwen-1 — or “quest for heavenly truth” — is a multi-functional vessel that will make a six-month-long journey to Mars of more than 300 million miles. When it finally reaches the red planet, a coordinated system of heat shields, parachutes and rockets will deploy from an orbiter and enter the ultra-thin atmosphere of Mars. A white bell-shaped capsule will then help a lander, the size of a small car, touch down softly on its crusty, red surface. A ramp will unfurl, and a 530-pound rover will roll down to the rocky surface below. Outfitted with high-resolution cameras and sensors, the solar-powered rover will then explore the terrain of the planet that most resembl
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Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, reflects on his decision to launch the trade war with China and begin the process of "strategic decoupling" — a process he says the U.S. must see through to the end.
