TAG HEUER To Time China’s 2020 Mars Exploration Bid

History of spaceflight became part of human achievement in the 20th century
following theoretical and practical breakthroughs. China has emerged with a
significant spaceflight capability, including manned missions.

China’s Mars Exploration Program is now officially on time with TAG Heuer,
kicking off with its global solicitation for program logo design and the
unveiling of the exterior design of the long-awaited, first-ever Mars rover
of China.

At a press conference, in the presence of Jean-Claude Biver, TAG Heuer CEO
and President of the LVMH Watch Division, with the Director of the lunar
exploration program and space engineering centre under the State
Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense,
Jizhong Liu and the Chief Designer of The Mars Exploration Mission,
Rongqiao Zhang, TAG Heuer became the partner of this global solicitation
event, demonstrating TAG Heuer’s full support towards the China’s Mars
Exploration Program.

On February 20, 1962, TAG Heuer became the first Swiss watchmaker in space
with an American astronaut. “The clock is running!” With these words, John
Glenn started his stopwatch as he became the first American astronaut to
achieve the first manned US orbital flight in his Mercury capsule,
Friendship 7. This stopwatch manufactured by TAG Heuer in Switzerland was
modified with elastic bands to fit over the sleeve of Glenn’s spacesuit.
After the failure of another brand of watches on the earlier flights of
Alan Shepherd and Virgil “Gus” Grissom, the TAG Heuer was selected by NASA
due to its ability to withstand the high G-forces of lift-off. This
original stopwatch is now at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and
Space Museum, the replica is kept at the TAG Heuer Museum at La
Chaux-de-Fonds.

In May 2012, TAG Heuer sent its new Carrera Calibre 1887 SpaceX Chronograph
on an orbital mission. The watch was brought to the International Space
Station by SpaceX to prove its reliability and accuracy even under the most
extreme circumstance of all time. On July 12, 2016, TAG Heuer announced a
unique partnership with S3 (Swiss Space Systems) ZeroG aerospace program.
The TAG Heuer S3 watch serves that as a boarding pass to access the
flight will give the public a chance to experience zero gravity. TAG Heuer,
which has always followed the development of space industry, has tackled
every technological challenge with its leading time-keeping function – even
a challenge in space.

Starting from the 1960’s, space race has become increasingly intense. After
the unremitting efforts of Chinese elite space scientists, China’s first
man-made earth satellite was launched on April 24, 1970. In 2003, China
completed the first manned space flight; in 2007, China’s first lunar
orbiter was launched; and in 2013, China’s first lunar probe successfully
landed, and has worked in space for 19 months now, setting a record in the
world of the longest working time on the moon.

On April 22, 2016, Xu Dazhe, head of the China National Space
Administration, confirmed on a state council press conference that the Mars
mission had been officially set up and an unmanned probe to Mars will be
sent to orbit and land on the Red Planet in 2020 to conduct research on
planet’s soil, environment, and atmosphere for the first time. This mission
is another one of China’s most important space exploration mission since
its manned spacecraft, lunar exploration flights. Unlike any of the first
U.S. or Russian Mars expeditions, China’s first Mars program will consist
of orbiting, landing and rover deployment in one mission. According to the
plan, shortly after successfully orbiting the Mars, the lander with the
rover will separate from the orbiter and begin its descent to the surface
of the planet, leading to a higher demand on the autonomous operations of
the rover after its landing. The trajectory design is also more challenging
to meet both orbiting and landing requirements. At its most distant, Mars
is as far as 400 million km away from the earth, while the average distance
from the earth to the moon is 384,000 km, which makes the Mars expedition a
more ambitious challenge than a lunar soft landing and roving. The
increased distance requires higher data transmission rates, adding
difficulties to remotely control a rover on the Mars surface.

In addition, compared to the moon, Mars receives less sunlight, which is
further blocked by its dusty atmosphere, making it more challenging to
ensure the rover’s energy supply. Meet The Challenge, Explore Mars
Scheduled to launch in 2020, the ambitious program aims to explore the
topography, soil, environment, and atmosphere of Mars, as well as the
distribution of ice and water on the planet, its physical fields and
internal structure. With regards to the support for China’s Mars
Exploration Program, Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and LVMH Watch
Division President said: “Mars exploration is one of the greatest missions
in man’s conquest of space. TAG Heuer’s support to the program represents
its strong support for human beings’ grand space dream. It is an honour and
a privilege to support this dream, the next giant leap for humanity.”

Liu Jizhong, deputy chief commander of China’s first Mars probe project and
Dean of Lunar Exploration & Aerospace Engineering Center, remarked, “We are
pleased to work with the first Swiss watch brand that enters the space.
Timing is of critical importance to the aerospace industry. TAG Heuer
provides precise time keeping, and in particular, it has no fear of meeting
challenges, which reflects the belief of Chinese astronauts. According to
the plan, China will land on Mars around 2020. Although it will be a tough
road ahead, Chinese astronauts will create history with the fearless
spirit. We look forward to that exciting moment.”

The first Mars exploration mission will consist of entering the Mars orbit,
landing on the planet and deploying a rover. It is a big challenge to
achieve the three goals in one mission.