Mars probe makes deep-space maneuver

China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe carried out a key in-flight maneuver about 30 million kilometers away from Earth on Friday night.

The deep-space orbital operation began at 11 pm, after the robotic vehicle received signals from ground controllers at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. Its main engine, which has 3,000 newtons of thrust power, was activated and operated about eight minutes, moving the spacecraft toward a Martian orbit.

The spacecraft will continue traveling about four months in an Earth-Mars transfer trajectory toward the red planet and will conduct two to three more orbital corrections before entering Mars' gravitational field, according to the China National Space Administration.