China breaks silence on the status of the stationary Mars rover

BEIJING, April 25 (Reuters) – China’s all-robot Mars rover, hibernating longer than expected since May 2022, was likely met with an excessive buildup of sand and dust, the mission designer said, breaking months of silence about the rover’s condition. trolley.

The Zhurong rover, named after the legendary Chinese god of fire, was expected to wake up in December after its planned entry. Sleeps The situation in May 2022, where the decrease in solar radiation with the onset of winter has reduced power generation.

The unexpected dust build-up likely affected power generation and Zurong’s wake-up ability, Chinese state television reported Tuesday, citing Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China’s Mars Exploration Program.

a camera Official photos aboard a NASA Mars probe showed that the Chinese rover had not moved since at least September.

The 240 kg (530 lb) Zhurong spacecraft, which contains six science instruments including a high-resolution topographic camera, was tasked with studying the planet’s surface soil and atmosphere after it touched down without mishap in May 2021.

Powered by solar energy, Zhurong also searched for signs of ancient life, including groundwater and ice, using ground-penetrating radar.

Zhang said the rover explored the surface of Mars for 358 days and traveled 1,921 meters (2,100 yards), far exceeding its mission’s original three-month time period.

Apart from Zhurong, there are two other robotic rovers operating on Mars — NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity, with the former roaming the planet’s surface for more than two years and the latter for more than a decade.

Reporting by Ryan Wu. Editing by Stephen Coates

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