Zhurong
Also known as Tianwen-1 rover
China's first Mars rover, which explored southern Utopia Planitia for a year and found evidence of water altered soils and buried shorelines.
| Maker | China Academy of Space Technology |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| Launched | 2020 |
| Status | Lost |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Mass | 240 kg |
| Distance driven | 1.921 km |
| Actuation | Six wheel active suspension able to crab sideways and lift wheels |
| Power | Four foldable solar panels with a phase change heat storage system |
| Sensors | Navigation and topography cameras, multispectral camera, ground penetrating radar, laser induced breakdown spectrometer, magnetometer, weather station |
| Autonomy | Ground planned drives with onboard hazard detection |
Zhurong rode the Tianwen-1 orbiter to Mars and landed in Utopia Planitia in May 2021, making China the second country to operate a rover on the Martian surface. Four foldable solar panels powered a six wheel active suspension that could lift a wheel or crab sideways, with ground penetrating radar, a laser induced breakdown spectrometer and a magnetometer. It drove 1,921 metres in about a year and reported hydrated minerals in young dune deposits and radar layering read as ancient coastal sediments, then entered hibernation in May 2022 and never responded again.
Of note
- Made China the second nation to drive a rover on Mars
- Travelled 1,921 metres before hibernating in May 2022
- Radar data supported the case for ancient shoreline deposits
Maker: www.cnsa.gov.cn