(Yicai Global) June 1 -- China will launch its first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1 in July or August, according to an expert from the country's main space program contractor.

Timing is key because Mars is close to Earth -- still about 55 million kilometers away -- only every 26 months and if its gravitational field fails to capture the probe, the spacecraft will just pass by the Red Planet, Bao Weimin, science and technology committee director at the China Aerospace Science and Technology, said during a CCTV interview.

Editor: Emmi Laine