China’s Mars orbiter captures images of distant comet 3I/ATLAS

China's Mars orbiter, Tianwen-1, has successfully observed the rare interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, using its high-resolution camera as it made a close flyby of Mars in early October.

According to the observation by China National Space Administration (CNSA), the spacecraft was about 300 million kilometres from 3I/ATLAS, making it one of the closest examinations by a probe of this interstellar object.

The successful observation demonstrated an important extended mission for Tianwen-1.

The observation of the interstellar object served as a technical evaluation test for China’s Tianwan-2 mission, which was launched in May. 

This has a pivotal role in sampling an asteroid and exploring a main-belt comet.

Furthermore, the object further was formed around ancient stars near the pivotal point of the Milky Way, with an estimated age of between 3 and 11 billion years, possibly older than the solar system.

The Tianwen-1 teams have been preparing for the observation since early September and are determined to achieve success using the high-resolution camera.

Nonetheless, the observation presents a major milestone for the extended Tianwen-1 mission.

Furthermore, it will help to better understand deep-space exploration and advance our knowledge of central scientific issues through high-resolution imaging.