China Unveils New Photos of Its First Unmanned Mars Probe 'Tianwen-1'

Mars Exploration Robot 'Jurung' Captured with High-Resolution Camera

Photo taken by China's Mars probe Tianwen-1. (Source=Captured from China National Space Administration Weibo)

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] China's first Mars unmanned probe, 'Tianwen-1,' has taken and released new photos.

On the 7th, China's Xinhua News Agency reported that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) released new photos taken by Tianwen-1.

Xinhua introduced them as "two photos showing the Mars exploration rover 'Zhurong' and the landing platform," adding that "they were taken with the high-resolution camera mounted on Tianwen-1." CNSA explained via Weibo that "the photos were taken at the same location but at different times, capturing Zhurong before and after landing."

Previously launched on July 23 last year, Tianwen-1 entered Mars orbit in February after about seven months of flight, orbiting and collecting data. Then, about ten months later, at 7:18 a.m. on the 15th of last month, it landed in the southern part of Mars' Utopia Planitia. With this, China became the third country in the world to successfully land on Mars, following the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, the solar-powered exploration rover 'Zhurong' left the landing platform on the 22nd of last month and began exploration work on the Martian surface. Named after the first 'God of Fire' in ancient Chinese mythology, Zhurong operates on solar energy. It is designed with six wheels, stands 1.85 meters tall, and weighs 240 kilograms. It can travel 200 meters per hour.