Zhurong, China's Rover Completes 90-day Mission On Mars

Zhurong completes a 90-day mission on Mars. (photo; zumapress.com)

JAKARTA - China's Mars rover has completed its planned 90-day mission fully loaded and in good condition, and will continue to explore to complete its mission.

"The rover Zhurong will continue to explore Mars' Utopia Planitia, a large area where it is immersed," said a source at China's National Space Agency, Friday, August 19, as reported by The Associated Press.

The rover Zhurong landed on May 14, 2021, and has been sending images of the Red Planet back ever since via China's Tianwen-1 orbiter.

It covered a distance of 889 meters and collected 10 gigabytes of raw data, according to the Chinese Communist Party's Global Times.

China and the United States are the only two countries that have succeeded in placing a rover on Mars.

China is also assembling a space station, the first module of which, Tianhe, is now in orbit around Earth, according to the AP. China was ejected from the International Space Station.

The country also recently brought moonstones back to Earth, according to the AP - the first country to do so since the United States.