Zhurong

Zhurong

Spacecraft· CNSAinactive

Zhurong — China's first Mars rover, in Utopia Planitia (Tianwen-1).

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Key facts

Distance from Sun
1.5 AU
Status
Completed
Launched
2020

Mission & specifications

Mission

Operator
CNSA
Launched
July 23, 2020
Status
Completed

Trajectory

Distance from the Sun
1.5 AU
Distance from Earth
1.9 AU
Distance from Mars
2,494,453 km

Mission

Zhurong was China's first Mars rover, and the spacecraft that made China only the second nation to drive a vehicle across the surface of another planet. It arrived as part of Tianwen-1, an ambitious mission launched on 23 July 2020 that combined an orbiter, a lander and the rover in a single bold attempt — something no country had tried on a first Mars mission. After the orbiter spent months surveying the planet, the lander carried Zhurong down to a soft, rocket-braked touchdown in Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021. Named after a god of fire in Chinese mythology, the solar-powered, six-wheeled rover rolled onto the surface a week later and set off to study the rocks, soil and weather of its landing site, using cameras, spectrometers and a ground-penetrating radar to probe the layers beneath — finding evidence consistent with ancient water having shaped the terrain. Over about a year it drove nearly two kilometres. As the Martian winter closed in and dust gathered on its solar panels, Zhurong entered a planned hibernation in May 2022, set to wake automatically when sunlight returned. It never did — most likely smothered by accumulated dust — and the rover's surface mission quietly came to an end. Even so, Tianwen-1 had succeeded brilliantly on its first try, and its orbiter continues to study Mars from above.

  1. 2020Tianwen-1 launchesLaunch

    China's first Mars mission sets off, carrying an orbiter, a lander and the Zhurong rover together.

  2. 2021Tianwen-1 enters Mars orbitArrival

    The spacecraft brakes into orbit and spends months surveying candidate landing sites.

  3. 2021Zhurong lands in Utopia PlanitiaLanding

    A rocket-braked touchdown makes China the second nation to operate a rover on Mars.

  4. 2022Enters winter hibernationMilestone

    As dust gathers and winter deepens, the solar-powered rover powers down, set to wake with the spring Sun.

  5. 2023Mission endsMission end

    Zhurong never re-awakens — most likely smothered by dust — after driving nearly two kilometres.

Images

The Zhurong rover and Tianwen-1 lander on Mars
China News Service (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image