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China releases new Mars images as nation marks 100 days of red planet exploration
- China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter takes images showing route of Zhu Rong Mars rover which has travelled over 1km from its landing platform
- People’s Bank of China launches commemorative coins to celebrate the country’s first Mars exploration mission
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China released the latest images of its Mars rover on Monday, the 100th day of Zhu Rong’s operation on the red planet.
The pictures released by the China National Space Administration showed the route of the rover, which had travelled more than 1km south from the landing platform by Monday. The photos were taken by the Tianwen-1 orbiter on Tuesday last week.
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The space agency said the rover would head towards the boundary between the ancient sea and land in the south of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere, to collect data.
It added that the distance between the Earth and Mars was approaching its furthest, at about 395 million kilometres (245 million miles).
The orbiter and rover will pause their exploration in mid-to-late September, when communications are interrupted as the sun comes between Mars and Earth, according to CNSA.
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