China launches global naming campaign for Mars rover

Guests attend the launching ceremony of a global naming campaign for the country's Mars rover in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, July 24, 2020. China launched Mars mission Tianwen-1 on Thursday. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday announced the launch of a global naming campaign for the country's Mars rover. According to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA, the naming activity will be carried out in four stages, including name submission, top 10 proposed names selected by judges, top three names selected by public voting and the final selection. From now until midnight on Aug. 12, participants can submit their proposed names through the Baidu mobile app, the official submission channel or to the office of the global naming campaign in a paper form. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday announced the launch of a global naming campaign for the country's Mars rover.

According to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA, the naming activity will be carried out in four stages, including name submission, top 10 proposed names selected by judges, top three names selected by public voting and the final selection.

From now until midnight on Aug. 12, participants can submit their proposed names through the Baidu mobile app, the official submission channel or to the office of the global naming campaign in a paper form.

The CNSA said the campaign is expected to promote the popularization of space knowledge and attract the public's attention to the space industry.

China launched Mars mission Tianwen-1 on Thursday, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, and taking the first step in its planetary exploration of the solar system.

Tianwen-1 is expected to reach Mars around February 2021. After it enters Mars' orbit, it will spend two to three months surveying potential landing sites using a high-resolution camera to prepare for the landing in May.

After landing, a rover will be released to conduct scientific exploration with an expected lifespan of at least 90 Martian days (about three months on Earth), and the orbiter, with a design life of one Martian year (about 687 days on Earth), will relay communications for the rover while conducting its own scientific detection.