--- title: "China Successfully Tests Mars Lander in Giant Drop Test" description: "The China Mars lander just successfully completed its first public test: a spectacular drop from 230 feet onto a mountainous landscape north of Beijing." date: "2019-11-14" modified: "2019-11-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-mars-lander-drop-test" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "mars" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # China Successfully Tests Mars Lander in Giant Drop Test ![China has successfully launched its Tianwen-1 — Heavenly Questions — mission to Mars, including an orbiter, lander, and a rover.]() *\Image: CSNA\* ## Dropping the Lander China's Mars lander just successfully completed its first public test: a spectacular drop from 230 feet onto a mountainous landscape north of Beijing. The lander hovered at first before slowly descending safely to the ground below. The stunt tested one of the most difficult parts of sending a spacecraft to the Red Planet: making a soft landing while avoiding obstacles. It's a feat that only the United States has achieved so far. "\[The simulation\] is a critical milestone for the development of the Mars probe," Wu Yanhua, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, told reporters, as [quoted by *CNN*](). ## Mars 2020 Both China and the U.S. are planning to launch uncrewed exploration missions to Mars next year. NASA has been [working hard]() on completing its Mars 2020 rover, which will hopefully collect rock samples and bring them back to Earth in 2021. The test is yet another sign that China is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to space exploration. Last winter, the country [successfully landed]() a rover on the far side of the Moon, [becoming the first]() to sprout plants on the lunar surface as well. China is also planning for a [crewed mission]() to the Moon in the 2030s. The China Academy of Space Technology [recently showed off]() its next-generation spacecraft that could one day take Chinese astronauts to the Moon, thereby becoming only the second country after the U.S. to do so. **READ MORE:** [China's Mars ambitions one step closer after successful test of lander]() \[*CNN*\] **More on China's space exploration efforts:** *[China Reveals Spacecraft Built to Ferry Astronauts to the Moon]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()