China says its first Mars landing - of both a lander and a rover - is happening as early as Saturday

• China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft could land on Mars as early as Saturday.
• The country's space agency said the expected landing time is between May 15 and May 19 local time.
• This is China's first attempt at a Mars landing.

China said that its Tianwen-1 spacecraft could land on Mars as early as Saturday.

China's National Space Administration said on Friday said the spacecraft is expected to land on Mars between early May 15 and May 19 Beijing time, which is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time.

This is China's first attempt at a Mars landing.

As Insider's Morgan McFall-Johnson reported, it would be the first mission to send a spacecraft to Mars, drop a landing platform onto its surface, and deploy a rover all in one expedition.

The Tianwen-1 first launched in July 2020.