China Zhurong Rover Marks Its 100 Days On Mars; Snaps Broad Panorama of the Utopia Planitia Area of Mars

China's National Space Agency recently shared new photos of its Zhurong rover to honor the spacecraft's 100th working day on Mars.

South China Morning Post said the China National Space Administration issued the images, which revealed the rover's route since it left the Tianwen-1 orbiter in May. CNSA added the new photos were taken about a week ago.

China Zhurong Rover Traveled More Than Half-Mile On Its 100 Days

China's Zhurong Rover traveled a little more than a half-mile from the orbiter during the 100 days on Mars.

UPI said the orbiter and rover arrived on Mars on May 15. CNSA said earlier this month that the 500-lb, 6-foot rover survived its three-month life expectancy with all completed tasks.

In a statement, the agency said Tianwen-1 is the latest part of China's quickly expanding behavior in outer space. CNSA also laid down Zhurong's accomplishments in the same statement. These include completing a global navigation satellite network, placing the first section of the country's permanent space station into orbit, and returning the first lunar samples to Earth in more than four decades.

Science Times reported that the rover sent pictures of a vast Mars' field called Utopia a few days after landing.

About China Zhurong Rover

China launched the orbit from the province of Hainan on July 23, 2020. It arrived on Mars orbit a few months later. The country named the rover after the Chinese god of fire, Zhurong. After exiting its landing site on May 22, the Chinese rover started its investigation of Mars.

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China is the second country to bring a rover on Mars. In February, United States landed its fifth rover called Perseverance rover on the Red Planet. A Russian probe also arrived on Mars in the 1970s but quickly lost touch with the spacecraft upon arrival.

Since then, China's Mars rover has relayed sounds, pictures, and videos back to Earth from the Red Planet. It even transmitted a photo of itself, displaying the Asian country's flag on the planet's red and stony surface.

Elon Musk and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson lauded China's space agency on Twitter for sharing the Zhurong Mars Rover's first photos on Mars. It occurs although the US is a competitor to China in space development.

Congratulations to CNSA on the first images from the Zhurong Mars rover!

As the international scientific community of robotic explorers on Mars grows, the US and the world looks forward to the discoveries Zhurong will make to advance humanity’s knowledge of the Red Planet. https://t.co/cz04yOTJSh
— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) May 19, 2021

Apart from continuing to explore Mars, China is also building a permanent space station.

Three astronauts are transported by the Chinese spacecraft Tianhe, also known as the Heavenly Harmony core.

China is not even a member of the International Space Station. As a result, the Asian country is compelled to create its own version.

According to Science Times, the Chinese Space Agency wants to complete the Tiangong space station by the end of 2022. Over the following months, this would need a few more flights to deliver supplies.