Published: 09:34, July 29, 2020 | Updated: 21:24, June 5, 2023
China's Mars probe photographs Earth and Moon
By Xinhua

This photo provided by the China National Space Administration captures an image of the Earth (near) and Moon (far), about 1.2 million km from Earth. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's Mars probe, Tianwen-1, captured an image of the Earth and Moon, about 1.2 million km from Earth, the China National Space Administration said on Tuesday.

China launched its first Mars mission Tianwen-1, which means Questions to Heaven, on July 23, marking the country's first step in planetary exploration of the solar system.

READ MORE: China's first Mars exploration mission named Tianwen-1

Tianwen-1 took a photo of the Earth and Moon with an optical navigation sensor on Monday. In the black-and-white picture, the Earth and the Moon, one large and one small, were both crescent-shaped, watching each other in the vast universe.

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According to the CNSA, the probe has escaped the earth's gravity and entered the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, travelling more than 1.5 million km away from the Earth.

The probe was in good condition, said the CNSA.