China Lands on Mars, Closing Gap With U.S. in Space Exploration
Until now only NASA had managed to land a rover on the planet
Zhurong rover is designed to last for about 90 days on surface
WATCH: China’s deep space ambitions made a significant leap forward with a successful landing of a rover on the surface of Mars. Stephen Engle reports.(Source: Bloomberg)
A Chinese spacecraft has landed on Mars, making China only the second country after the U.S. to send a rover to the surface of the Red Planet.
A China National Space Administration (CNSA) lander from the Tianwen-1, which has been in orbit since February, touched down on Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars on Saturday at about 7 a.m. local time, according to reports by state media CCTV.
