Yinghuo-1

Yinghuo-1
Mission typeMars orbiter
OperatorCNSA
Mission duration1 year in Mars orbit (planned)
Never departed Earth orbit
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass115 kilograms (254 lb)
Dimensions750mm x 750mm x 650mm (stowed)
PowerSolar array
Start of mission
Launch date8 November 2011, 20:16:03 (2011-11-08UTC20:16:03Z) UTC
RocketZenit-2M
Launch siteBaikonur 45/1
Deployed fromFobos-Grunt (planned)
End of mission
Decay date15 January 2012 (2012-01-16)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemAreocentric (planned)
Geocentric (achieved)
RegimeLow Earth (achieved)
Perigee800 kilometres (500 mi) (planned)
Apogee80,000 kilometres (50,000 mi) (planned)
Inclination5 degrees (planned)
Period3 days (planned)
 

Yinghuo-1 was a Chinese spacecraft. People planned for it to be China's first interplanetary mission. Yinghuo-1 was supposed to orbit and study the planet Mars. It was launched with the Russian spacecraft Phobos-Grunt. The spacecraft got into space, but something went wrong and it could not escape earth's gravity.

The name Yinghuo means firefly in Chinese.

References

  1. 1 2 Lakdawalla, Emily (9 September 2010). "China's Yinghuo-1 Mars Orbiter". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Russia takes aim at Phobos". Nature.com. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  3. ↑ Запуск станции "Фобос-Грунт" к спутнику Марса отложен до 2011 года (in Russian). РИА Новости. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  4. ↑ "Solar System Exploration". Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Yinghuo-1: Read More". NASA. Archived from the original on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2011-08-31.