The spacecraft has reached the surface of the planet
BEIJING, May 22. /TASS/. The Zhuzhong rover successfully descended from the landing platform and began exploring Mars. This was announced on Saturday by the Chinese National Space Administration.
"The Zhuzhong rover successfully left the landing platform, reached the surface of Mars and began exploring," the agency said in a statement.
The automatic interplanetary station "Tianwen-1" made a successful landing on the surface of Mars on May 15, which was the first landing of a Chinese spacecraft on Mars. The Zhuzhong rover, which is part of the mission, will study the earth's soil, ionosphere, and climate. On Wednesday, the spacecraft transmitted the first images and videos from the surface of Mars. The period of operation of the rover on the surface of the planet will be 92 earth days.
The Tianwen-1 station was launched on July 23, 2020, using a Changzheng-5 launch vehicle from the Wenchang space center, located in the southern Chinese province of Hainan. In February, it reached the orbit of Mars.