Developed a sophisticated space instrument, the “Mars Landing Surveillance Camera (Mars Camera) and contributed to the Nation’s first Mars mission

Space research team and Industrial Center contributed to the Nation’s first Mars exploration project Tianwen-1 by developing and manufacturing the Mars Camera. Professor WU Bo from LSGI Planetary Remote Sensing Lab helped identify possible landing regions with advanced topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis technologies. Professor YUNG Kai-leung developed the Mars Camera for photographing on the Mars surface the lander’s surroundings and monitoring the status of the Zhurong Mars rover.

The spacecraft for the Tianwen-1 probe comprises an orbiter, a lander and the Zhurong rover, that has completed orbiting, landing and roving in one single mission, the first of such attempt in global aerospace history. The mission aims to obtain scientific exploration data on the Red Planet. Tianwen-1 successfully landed on a pre-selected landing region on the Utopia Planitia of Mars on 15 May 2021. A press conference was held on 21 May 2021 at PolyU to share the research details.