--- title: "China Addresses Awkward Situation on Mars" description: "China's Mars rover Zhurong has remained in its hibernation state since May 2022. Officials are finally ready to talk." date: "2023-04-25" modified: "2023-04-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-addresses-awkward-situation-mars-rover" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "mars" - "the digest" - "zhurong" --- # China Addresses Awkward Situation on Mars ![China's Mars rover Zhurong has remained in its hibernation state since May 2022. Officials are finally ready to talk.]() *\Image: CNSA\* ## Wake Up Ever since going into hibernation in May 2022 to wait out a bitterly cold winter, China's Mars rover Zhurong has remained in its deep slumber. That's [despite expectations]() of having it wake up and resume its exploration of the Martian surface in December, leading to questions about whether the mission is now over. Chinese officials have [stayed strikingly quiet]() since then, refusing to shed light on the situation — until now. "We have not had any communication from the rover since it entered hibernation," Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China's Mars exploration program, [told *Reuters*](). "We are monitoring it every day and believe it has not woken up because the sunlight has not yet reached the minimum level for power generation." In other words, researchers aren't ready to give up hope, and are still waiting to resume contact with the six-wheeled rover. Whether that's actually likely, though, is anyone's guess. ## Dust to Dust The most likely culprit is a build-up of dust hampering Zhurong's ability to generate solar power, according to Zhang. Images taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter earlier this year showed that the rover hasn't moved [since at least September](). The rover, the first non-US-built one to softly land on Mars, has spent almost an entire Earth year looking for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet, vastly exceeding the three months it was designed for, as Zhang told *Reuters*. But whether it will be able to shake off the dust and start charging its batteries to kick back into action remains to be seen. It wouldn't be the first manmade object to succumb to such a fate. NASA's InSight lander similarly struggled to keep the dust off, with scientists [declaring the end of the mission]() in late December as a result. **More on Zhurong:** *[China Refuses to Say Whether Its Mars Rover Is Dead]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()