The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released new videos and photos on Sunday taken by the country’s first Mars probe, Tianwen-1, during its landing and roaming on the Red Planet.
The Tianwen-1 mission launched on July 23, 2020.
On May 15, 2021, the rover finally landed in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars. A week later, the Zhurong rover began exploring the Red Planet, making China the second country after the United States to land and operate a rover on Mars.
On Sunday, four videos were released for the first time. The first, captured on May 15, recorded the landing and landing of the probe and rover. The second image showed the rover descending from its landing pad to the surface of Mars on May 22. Two other clips, filmed on June 1, captured the rover as it roamed, taking pictures next to the probe.
This is the first time that videos of the probe’s movements have been seen on the surface of Mars.
On June 16, the rover conducted a comprehensive assessment of its environment to plan its paths for subsequent scientific exploration.
The image released by CNSA, taken by Zhurong’s rear-view camera, recorded its tracks on the surface of Mars.
So far, the Tianwen-1 mission has been in space for 338 days. The Zhurong rover has been active on the surface of Mars for 42 days – a day on Mars equals a day on Earth for 37 minutes – and has traveled a total of 236 meters on the Red Planet.
The agency said that both the orbiter and the rover are in good operating condition.
Zhurong will continue its missions of movement, detection, and scientific exploration as planned. Meanwhile, the orbiter will continue to operate in a relay orbit, providing relay communications for the craft’s scientific exploration while it makes its own scientific discoveries.
