China launched a Mars probe on Thursday. A Long March-5 rocket, China's largest launch vehicle, carrying the spacecraft, soared into the sky from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China's island province of Hainan at 12:41 p.m. (Beijing Time).
About 36 minutes later, the spacecraft, including an orbiter and a rover, was sent into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, embarking on an almost seven-month journey to the red planet, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The probe is expected to reach the gravitational field of Mars after seven months, and it will be captured into orbit around the planet. After orbiting Mars, the orbiter will separate from the lander and enter mission orbit to explore the planet.