China's Mars Rover, Seen From Orbit ... and From the Surface!

By Nancy Atkinson June 11, 2021
China's Mars Rover, Seen From Orbit ... and From the Surface!

The Chinese Tianwen-1 lander and Zhurong rover are being watched, both from Mars’ orbit and from the surface! The Chinese Space Agency today released a series of photos, including a family portrait of the rover and lander taken by a wireless remote camera. And just look at that cute rover face!

Closeup crop of the Zhurong rover. Credit: CNSA.

Zhurong placed a remote camera about 10 meters (33 feet) from the landing platform, then was driven back to the lander for a group portrait, the CNSA said.

China landed the Tianwen-1 lander and rover on the Martian plain called Utopia Planitia on May 14, 2021 after it spent about three months orbiting the Red Planet. Other pictures released by CNSA included panoramic views of the lander, the surrounding area, and also another panoramic view of the rover and lander together from the rover’s mast camera.

Tianwen-1 lander, which brought the rover to the surface of Mars. Wheel tracks from the rover are visible on the ground. Credit: CNSA.

But NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and HiRISE camera also captured a stunning view this week from orbit of China’s mission on the planet’s surface.

Tianwen-1 Lander and Zhurong Rover in Southern Utopia Planitia. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

“HiRISE acquired this image on 6 June 2021,” wrote HiRISE principal investigator Alfred McEwen on the HiRISE website. “Clearly visible are what we interpret as the lander surrounded by a blast pattern, and the rover itself a bit to the south after it descended from the lander.”

McEwen added that the image shows the surrounding terrain to be very typical of southern Utopia Planitia, with a smooth and mostly boulder-free region. The bright curving features are aeolian (windblown) landforms.

The rover’s picture shows the view of the surrounding plain as well.

A view of Utopia Planitia from the Zhurong rover. Credit: CNSA.

While the CSNA said the pictures from the surface shows the mission to be a “complete success,” there is some science happening, too. The rover Zhurong has been working on the surface of Mars “to detect the environment, move around the surface, and carry out scientific exploration.”  CNSA said all the scientific equipment aboard the rover has been turned on, and the “orbiter operates in a relay orbit with a cycle of 8.2 hours, providing relay communication for the scientific exploration of the Mars rover.”

The rover Zhurong is named after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology.

Panoramic view of the Chinese rover and lander ramp together on the Martian surface. Credit: CNSA.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com