The Chinese rover sent its first photos from Ma …

Chinese explorer ZorongWho came to Mars On May 14, he has already sent his first photos from the Red Planet. The China Space Administration (CNSA) released two photos on Thursday: one taken in front of the descent ramp, and the other from a mobile navigation camera.

The spacecraft landed six days ago in a section of Mars’ surface known as Utopia Planitia, with the aim of examining the geology and climate of the fourth planet in the solar system (counted from the sun), closest to Earth. China is expected to be able to plan its upcoming missions based on the information Zhurong provided.

With the arrival of the Zhurong rover on Mars, China became the third country, after Russia and the United States, to reach the neighboring planet. Zhurong is part of the China National Space Administration’s Tianwen-1 mission, which departed in July 2020.

One of the photos is in black and white. The shot was taken by one of the cameras installed to avoid the obstacles. In the photo you can see the ramp spread from the landing gear, through which the rover can place its wheels on the roof.

The other color image was taken by a navigational camera located at the back of the explorer. The rover’s solar panels and antenna have been deployed, as well as the Martian surface.

CNSA has also released an animation showing the rover and landing module separation process, based on recordings made by the probe.