China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe carried out its first mid-course correction on Sunday morning, according to the China National Space Administration.

The spacecraft's main orbital-control engine was activated at 7 am for 20 seconds to fine-tune the spacecraft's trajectory.

When the correction was made, Tianwen 1 had been in space for more than 9 days and 18 hours on course for the Red Planet and has already traveled about 3 million kilometers.

During the seven-month journey, the spacecraft will make two more course corrections and a deep-space maneuver as it makes its way to the planet.

Tianwen 1, China's first independent Mars mission, was launched on July 23 at Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. That launch simultaneously opened China's planetary exploration program.