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The Chinese rover Zhurong captured this wide panorama of the Utopia Planitia area of Mars.
CNSA
This story is part of Welcome to mars, our series exploring the red planet.
August was quite the month for Mars panoramas. First, NASA’s Curiosity rover celebrated nine years on the Red Planet with a rocky view of Gale crater. Now, Chinese rover Zhurong kicks in with a sandy scene from its Martian home in Utopia Planitia.
Zhurong, part of China’s National Space Administration’s Mars Tianwen-1 mission, explores a vast region of the plains. The CNSA on Monday released a panoramic view that also shows the rover’s solar panels. The landscape is full of small rocks, as well as beautiful sand dunes visible on the right side of the panorama.
While Curiosity marks its time on Mars in years, Zhurong proudly survived his initial three-month life expectancy and is now on an extended mission as he continues to fight his way through Utopia Planitia. CNSA announced the extension earlier this month. So far, the rover has traveled nearly 3,500 feet (1,064 meters) since it landed in May.
The panorama adds to Zhurong’s impressive photo album. In June, the rover delivered one of the most beautiful portraits of Mars ever made thanks to the assistance of a remote camera.
The Chinese Tianwen-1 mission consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. Zhurong’s presence brought the number of active Martian rovers to three, along with NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance, which explore different parts of the planet. This means that we are currently spoiled for the rover giving us windows to the wild and rocky landscapes of the Red Planet.
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