China’s Mars Rover sends first photos from red planet’s surface

China’s Zhurong Mars rover has sent back its first photos since landing on the surface of the Red Planet on 14 May. Images released yesterday show the landing platform and departure ramp for the rover, as well as solar panels and antenna. The rover is now carrying out final preparations before leaving the landing platform and beginning its mission.⁠

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The rover is designed to study Mars’s geological structure, the composition of its surface and underlying layers of rock and ice, its magnetic field, and its climate. To accomplish this, Zhurong is equipped with cameras, ground-penetrating radar, a magnetic field detector, a weather station, and an instrument to measure the chemical composition of the dust and rocks. ⁠