Excitement in China as Tianwen-1 reaches Mars orbit

Cui Tingting dyed her hair Mars red for the arrival of China’s spacecraft at the planet known in Chinese as the Fire Star. “This is a great era for space, and the future of mankind lies in the exploration of outer space,” said Cui, director of the China Mars Society, the local chapter of a global advocacy network.

She hosted an online party Wednesday night to wait for the announcement that the Tianwen-1 spacecraft, launched last July, had reached Mars orbit. Video from participants across China showed a replica of Tianwen-1's robot rover in the home of one society member. Another wore a homemade space suit.

"Earth is our mother planet ... but for me, Mars is the same," Cui said.

China is falling in love with space, inspired by the ruling Communist Party's increasingly ambitious plans over the past two decades to launch humans into orbit and explore the moon and Mars. The expanding space program coincides with President Xi Jinping's campaign to promote an image of China returning to its former glory as a world leader.

Xi's government is trying to nurture public enthusiasm with a five-year "Scientific Literacy Action Plan." It includes a promise of support for developing Chinese science fiction. Cui is already planning another party in May when Tianwen-1’s robot lander is due to touch down.