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Published: June29,2022
The orbiter and rover of China’s Mars probe Tianwen-1 have accomplished their planned scientific exploration tasks, China Media Group (CMG) learned from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Wednesday.
The orbiter moved around Mars 1,344 times in the last 706 days and obtained mid-resolution visual data of the entire planet’s surface.
The rover, named Zhurong after the god of fire in Chinese mythology, traveled nearly 2 kilometers on Mars and entered hibernation on May 18 due to severe winter weather. It is expected to resume work when spring comes in around December.
The Tianwen-1 probe was launched back in July 2020 and entered the Mars orbit in February 2021. The rover landed and started operations in May 2021.
The probe transmitted about 1,040 gigabytes of raw data back to Earth. The data was then processed by scientists, some of which has been published in scientific journals.
The data will eventually be released for scientists around the world, said the CNSA, which has been gathering applications.
The CNSA has been working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the U.S. and the European Space Agency (ESA) to share orbiter data and warn about potential collisions with other probes.
Zhurong has also tested relaying data through ESA’s Mars Express orbiter as a Sino-Europe scientific cooperation.
Source:CGTN
