China Becomes the Second Country to Successfully Land Rover on Mars

On July 23, 2020, China launched a rocket named Long March 5 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan. Attached to the rocket was a rover called Zhurong, named after a god of fire from Chinese mythology. Zhurong spent 7 months travelling to Mars until it reached the red giant’s orbit this February. And on Wednesday May 19, China released the first images taken by Zhurong on the surface of Mars.

This event brought about a lot of excitement, particularly because of the fact that China is only the second country to successfully land a rover on the surface of Mars and operate it for a long period of time. Over the next three months, Zhurong will roam and explore the surface of Mars, searching for any signs of past life and its potential habitability. Zhurong is able to take pictures, cut rocks with a laser tool and assess their their chemistry, as well as look for water and ice beneath the surface using a radar.

The landing of Zhurong has also garnered a lot of praise, with Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulating the successful mission saying it is an “important step in China’s interstellar exploration.” However, it is also not met without some controversy. Bill Nelson, a NASA administrator, warned of how the feat indicated China’s increasing prowess and strength as a competitor. He also expressed his excitement of future international space exploration missions, “I look forward to future international discoveries, which will help inform and develop the capabilities needed to land human boots on Mars.”

The number of countries and organisations looking to explore space is only increasing, with the United States and China leading the pack. The United States landed its rover, Perseverance, on the surface of Mars on February this year. It is the most advanced Mars rover to date. Next year, Europe and Russia will send a probe to Mars’ orbit in a collaborative project.