China’s Mars mission successfully lands Zhurong rover on the Red Planet

China has successfully landed the Zhurong rover on Mars becoming only the second nation to achieve the astonishing mission.

The landing was part of China’s Tianwen-1 mission, which was launched in July 2020.

According to reports the Zhurong rover landed at is planned destination, Utopia Planitia, on the Red Planet.

Details about the missions exact purpose have been sparse but it is understood that the rover will map the surface and search out signs of life, reports NBC.

The American’s rover Perseverance is also currently on Mars along with its helicopter called Ingenuity. Perseverance was launched from Earth on July 30, 2020 and landed on February 18, 2021.

The Chinese National Space Administration confirmed that a signal was sent back to Earth from Zhurong earlier this morning.

China joins the US as the only countries to ever successfully landed a rover on the Red Planet.

According to the BBC the vehicle used a “combination of a protective capsule, a parachute and a rocket platform to make the descent”.

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Zhurong, which means God of Fire, travelled from Earth on the Tianwen-1 orbiter, which start circling Mars in February.

The orbiter has been gathering valuable information about the surface of the planet and using high-resolution images to find the best place to land.

China has been working hard to catch its rival, the USA, in recent years having launched the world’s first quantum spacecraft to explore the moon’s far side.

The Asian superpower now plans to build its own space station and is considering its first manned moon landing.

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, congratulated China’s space agency shortly after the landing was confirmed.

On Twitter her wrote: “Together with the global science community, I look forward to the important contributions this mission will make to humanity’s understanding of the Red Planet”

According to NASA, both countries traded data from their respective missions earlier this year.

“Zhu Rong is revered as the earliest god of fire in traditional Chinese culture, symbolising the use of fire to illuminate the earth and bring light,” a statement from China’s space agency said.

“The first Mars rover was named Zhu Rong, and it means to ignite the fire for interstellar exploration in our country, and guide mankind to continue exploration and self-transcendence in the vast starry sky.”