Since its launch in July 2020, Chinese rover Zhurong has sent several photos on May 14. This time, the Chinese Space Agency (CNSA) released a video recorded by a wireless camera.

The video shows the landing of the rover Zhurong on the surface of Mars. Zhurong is a six-wheeled robot designed to explore a part of Mars called Utopia Planitia, a 3,000-kilometer-wide basin area. It weighs 240 kg (530-lb). It is expected to map the landing area in 90 days.

Zhurong is similar to NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers, made in the early 2000s. It is equipped with radar, high-resolution cameras, a weather monitor, magnetic research detectors, as well as other instruments necessary for research.

The video was sent using a Tianwen-1 orbiter that is supposed to collect data on the surface of Mars and the atmosphere. It is expected to do the job for the next 687 days (one Mars year).

The video release was used to celebrate 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party.

Source: BBC