China’s Zhurong Mars rover fights on after completing its first program to explore the red planet and look for frozen water that could provide clues as to whether it ever supported life.
China’s National Space Administration said on its website Friday that Zhurong completed its 90-day program on August 15 and was in excellent technical condition and fully charged.
It said it would continue to explore the area known as Utopia Planitia, where it landed on May 14. Zhurong has consistently sent back photos and data via the Tianwen-1 orbiter crossing it once a day.
After the United States, China is the second country to land and sustainably operate a spacecraft on Mars, where the days are 40 minutes longer than on Earth.
At 1.85 meters high, Zhurong is significantly smaller than the American Perseverance rover, which explores the planet with a small helicopter. NASA expects its rover to collect its first sample in July for return to Earth as early as 2031.
At the same time, China is building its permanent space station, now with three astronauts aboard the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, core that was launched into orbit on April 29. Two of the astronauts completed their second spacewalk on Friday. All three will return to Earth in September and be replaced by a new crew.
China previously launched two smaller experimental space stations. It has been largely barred from the International Space Station, largely at the behest of the United States, which is wary of the secrecy of China’s space program and its close military ties. Congressional approval is also required for any collaboration between NASA and the CNSA.
China has also recently brought back lunar samples, the first by a country’s space program since the 1970s, and has landed a probe and rover on the less-explored far side of the moon.
China first put an astronaut into orbit in 2003, becoming the third country to do so.
