China's Zhurong rover makes historic touch down on Mars.

artist's concept of China's first Mars rover mission, landing on Mars (Image credit: CCTV/China National Space Administration)

    China's Zhurong rover has touched down on the Red Planet, making her the second space-faring nation after the USA to land on Mars

Tianwen 1 launch

    The long march 5 Y-4 rocket carrying an unmanned spacecraft Tianwen 1, took off from Wenchang space launch center in Hainan province on July 23 2020, After more than six months in transit, Tianwen-1 reached the Red Planet in February 2021 where it had been in orbit since.

    Tianwen-1 orbited the red planet for three months, searching for the best location to descend. Tianwen-1 finally released the lander containing Zhurong Rover on 15 May. The landing module separated from the orbiter three hours later and entered the Martian atmosphere, landing process consisted of "nine minutes of terror". The lander first used a heat shield during entry into the Martian atmosphere, followed by a parachute during descent near the surface, before finally firing a “retro engine” to safely land on a vast plain of Mars known as Utopia Planitia on Saturday 15 May 2021. 

With Tianwen-1 still in orbit, it will now provide relay communication between Zhurong and the Earth.

The rover Zhurong will now survey the landing site before departing from its platform to conduct scientific operations. Named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, Zhurong has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera. It will study the planet's surface soil and atmosphere. Zhurong will also look for signs of ancient life, including any sub-surface water and ice, using a ground-penetrating radar.

After the successful deployment of Zhurong, China has become the first country to orbit, land and release a rover in its maiden mission to Mars.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM OF SCIENTISTS FOR THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENT.