China launched a Mars probe on July 23, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, and taking the first step in its planetary exploration of the solar system.

A Long March-5 rocket, China's largest launch vehicle so far, carrying the spacecraft with a mass of about five tonnes, soared into the sky after the take-off at 12:41 p.m. BJT from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site.

About 36 minutes later, the spacecraft, including an orbiter and a rover, was sent into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, embarking on an almost seven-month journey to the red planet, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

China's first Mars mission is named Tianwen-1. The journey to Mars will take six to seven months and the probe is expected to reach the Red Planet around February 2021.