Zhurong Rover of China Completes First Mars Exploration Tasks of 90 Days; What Follows?

China's Mars rover named Zhurong landed on the Red Planet on May 15, making China the third country to send a rover to Mars. Moreover, Space.com reported that the country made history as the first-ever to carry out an orbiting, landing, and exploring operation as its first Mars mission.

Now, CGTN reported that the Zhurong rover made another milestone after completing its initial Mars exploration tasks in 90 Martian days or 92 Earth days.

Zhurong Rover Completes First Mars Exploration Tasks

"The last 90 days were a milestone, a complete success," CGTN quoted China's first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1 chief designer Zhang Rongqiao.

"So far the orbiter is in good condition. The rover is also moving steadily ahead. It will go farther to continue exploration," Zhang said.

On August 15, the Mars rover of China completed its initial working target of 90 days on Mars. For the past three months, the rover traveled nearly 889 meters on the Red Planet's surface in China's first interplanetary survey.

According to Xinhua Net, the rover used its subsurface detection radar to acquire data of the layered structure beneath the Martian surface. Its surface magnetic field detector collected data on local magnetic fields.

Scientists at China's space agency said that they have already processed and verified the data gathered by the seven payloads aboard the rover for future missions.

China's Mars mission has helped its scientists learn more about the history and present conditions of the Red Planet, CGTN reported. This exploration mission has provided them crucial data and experience that are expected to pave the way for the deep-space expeditions of the country in the future.

So far, China's Mars mission has already gathered more than 420 gigabytes of data from the Zhurong rover and the orbiter, such as the visuals and land features of Mars, as well as soil sample analysis and Martian atmosphere readings.

Liu Jianjun, the chief designer of the ground application system of the Tianwen-1 probe, said that they now have a better understanding of the atmosphere of Mars. Liu noted that their findings revealed that temperatures of the planet at this time of the year are at -20 to -10 degrees at noon.

What is Next for Zhurong Rover?

As Space.com reported, the first mission of the Zhurong rover was a three-month scientific program that immediately began upon its landing in May. The rover was part of the Tianwen-1 Mars mission under the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Like many Mars rovers before it, Zhurong's missions include a survey of the topography and geological structure of Mars, analysis of soil structure and the possible presence of water ice, exploring the chemical composition of minerals and rocks, and survey of the physical structures and atmosphere of the Red Planet.

As it has finished its initial tasks after 90 days, CGTN reported that the rover and orbiter under the Tianwen-1 mission will continue to transfer data to the CNSA every month from Mars, which is 400 million kilometers away from Earth. Before that, a month-long transit will happen as the Sun will go between Mars and Earth in September, which means the two planets will be at their farthest by then.

Scientists said that radiation from the Sun will interrupt the radio communication from both rover and orbiter, preventing them from sending signals. After that, experts are confident that the rover and orbiter will be able to send data.

Check out more news and information on Zhurong Rover in Science Times.