LAUNCH OF CHINA’S TIANWEN-1 PROBE TO MARS, July 23, 2020?, Hainan Island, China, 12:00-3:00 am ET?

Update, July 22 EDT:  The Chinese still have not officially announced a launch date/time, but Andrew Jones tweeted today that it is scheduled for a three-hour launch window just after midnight overnight, specifically 12:00-3:00 am ET July 23 EDT.

China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission is set to launch between 04:00-07:00 UTC/12-3 am Eastern July 23 (Thursday), with airspace closure notices suggesting launch ~4:45 UTC. No confirmation of live streams yet. pic.twitter.com/BrWfNk3Dju

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) July 22, 2020

Original Entry: China will launch an orbiter/lander/rover to Mars, Tianwen-1, in the July-August 2020 time frame on a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island.

China has not officially announced the launch date, but China space expert Andrew Jones tweeted on July 7 that it could take place about July 23.

Chinese media getting ready to stream the Tianwen-1 Mars mission launch from Wenchang. Liftoff expected ~July 23. https://t.co/tBn7w8THyu

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) July 7, 2020