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The dusty, rocky surface of Mars and a Chinese rover and landing gear bearing small national flags were seen in images released Friday taken by the rover on the Red Planet.
The four images released by the China National Space Administration show the upper stage of the Zhurong rover and the view from the rover before it lifts off from its platform.
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The agency said Zhurong placed a remote camera about 10 meters (33 feet) from the landing platform, then pulled out to take a group photo.
China landed the Tianwen-1 spacecraft on Mars last month after spending about three months orbiting the Red Planet. China is the second country to land and operate a spacecraft on Mars after the United States.
In this image released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday, June 11, 2021, the Chinese spacecraft on Mars Zhurong is seen near its landing platform captured by a remote camera that was dropped into place by the rover. China on Friday released a series of images taken by its Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars, including one of the same rover captured by a remote camera. (CNSA via AP)
Both the orbiter and the lander display small Chinese flags, and the probe has outlines of mascots for the Winter Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The six-wheeled rover is scanning an area known as Utopia Planitia, especially looking for signs of water or ice that could provide clues to whether Mars could have survived.
At 1.85 meters (6 feet) tall, the Zhurong is much smaller than the American Perseverance Rover that is exploring the planet with a small helicopter. NASA expects its rover to collect its first sample in July for return to Earth as early as 2031.
In this photo released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday, June 11, 2021, the landing platform bearing the Chinese national flag and mascot diagrams for the Winter Olympics and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are seen on Mars from the Jurong rover. . China on Friday released a series of images taken by its Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars, including one of the same rover captured by a remote camera. (CNSA via AP)
In addition to the Mars mission, China’s ambitious space program plans to send its first crew to its new space station next week. The three crew members plan to stay for three months at Tianhe Station, or Heavenly Harmony Station, far exceeding the length of any previous Chinese mission. They will conduct spacewalks, construction and maintenance work and carry out scientific experiments.
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Subsequent launches are planned to expand the station, send supplies and exchange crews. China has also returned samples from the Moon, the first by any nation’s space program since the 1970s, and has landed a probe and rover on the far side of the Moon.
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