The Chinese Tianwen-1 spacecraft with the Zhuzhong rover carried out a successful soft landing on the surface of Mars, Xinhua news agency reported. The Chinese Mars rover “Zhuzhong” successfully descended from the platform and began exploring Mars.
The Zhurong rover, part of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft, performed a successful soft landing in the southern part of the Utopia Plain on the surface of Mars on May 15. The corporation clarified that among the scientific tasks of the Tianwen-1 apparatus is the study of the morphology and features of the geological structure of Mars, the characteristics of the Martian soil and the location of water ice, the apparatus should also study the material composition of the soil, the ionized layer of the atmosphere, the characteristics of climate and environmental conditions on the surface of the Red Planet, as well as the physical field and internal structure of Mars. The design life of the Zhuzhong rover is 90 sols or Martian days (the duration of one day is 24 hours 39 minutes).
The Tianwen-1 mission involves entering and orbiting Mars, landing and traveling on the surface of the Red Planet. If the mission is successful, scientists will be able to study the atmosphere, topography, geological characteristics, and features of the planet’s magnetic field, which will help provide clues to the origin and evolution of Mars and the entire solar system.
The main goal of the mission is to find possible signs of life on Mars, and also to help scientists understand whether conditions on this planet could change in the future so that it becomes suitable for human life.
The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, recalled that next year the Russian-European ExoMars mission will be sent to Mars. “We confirm our commitment to strengthening international cooperation to jointly promote research into the Universe,” wrote the head of the state corporation. China became the third country after the Soviet Union and the United States to soft-land a research vehicle on the surface of the Red Planet.