China shares first Mars rover photos of red planet

The Chinese Mars rover Zhurong, which successfully landed on the red planet last week, has transmitted its first photos from Mars. Chinese space agency CNSA also publishes some short gifs showing Zhurong exiting the space capsule en route to Mars.

Click for a gif.
Image via the CNSA

The CNSA publishes two photos on its website. According to the CNSA, the images were sent back one at a time on May 17, after the Mars rover established a stable communication link with Earth.

The images show the Martian surface from the front and back of the Mars rover, which has not yet started exploring the red planet. The images also show that all parts, such as the solar panels, antenna and the ramp from the landing platform, have been successfully deployed after landing.

Zhurong is currently preparing to leave the landing pad, the CNSA said. Ultimately, the Mars rover must investigate the Martian surface, as well as look for possible traces of life on Mars. For example, the rover has six instruments on board for soil research, such as a radar instrument that can see through the surface of the planet. The Chinese space agency hopes the Mars rover will remain active for 90 sols, or about three Earth months. Zhurong has landed on Utopia Planitia, a large area where there used to be an ocean, and where there may be ice underground.

Zhurong was launched in July last year as part of the Tianwen-1 space mission. The Mars probe entered orbit around the red planet in February, then spent three months studying its intended landing site. With the successful landing of Zhurong, China is the third country to successfully land a Mars rover on the red planet. The United States and Russia preceded China.

Images via the China National Space Administration