--- title: "China Releases Beautiful New Photos from the Surface of Mars" description: "Martian Landscapes China’s Zhurong rover has spent the last 100 Earth days roaming the desolate landscapes of Mars. To celebrate the momentous occasion, China’s national space agency released a number of photos showing the path it took ever since leaving behind the Tianwen-1 orbiter that brought it there in May, the South China Morning Post […]" date: "2021-08-31" modified: "2021-08-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-beautiful-new-photos-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "mars" - "the digest" - "zhurong" --- # China Releases Beautiful New Photos from the Surface of Mars ![To celebrate 100 days on Mars, China's national space agency released a number of photos showing the path its Mars rover took.]() *\Image: CNSA\* ## Martian Landscapes China's Zhurong rover has spent the last 100 Earth days roaming the desolate landscapes of Mars. To celebrate the momentous occasion, China's space agency [released a number of photos]() showing the path the rover has taken since leaving behind the Tianwen-1 orbiter that brought it there in May, the [*South China Morning Post* reports](). ![]() The gorgeous red landscapes, one of which is a wide panorama, were taken last Tuesday by the orbiter — proof that China's first Mars mission is well underway. If you look closely, the panorama [shows the tire tracks]() of the Zhurong rover in the center. ![]() ## Rover Tracks Both the rover and the orbiter are "in good condition and functioning properly," according to [state-run news agency *Xinhua*](). The rover has moved more than one kilometer (1,064 meters to be precise) south ever since being released by the lander to study the boundary between what is believed to be an ancient sea bed and land in the southern region of the Utopia Planitia, a massive plain in the planet's northern hemisphere. Both the orbiter and rover will lose communications some time next month as the Sun will interrupt the signal by traveling between Mars and the Earth, according to the space agency. China became only the third country to [softly land a spacecraft]() on Mars in May, after the US and the Soviet Union (though the latter's effort, in 1971, [was extremely underwhelming)](). If all goes according to plan, this is only the beginning of a series of ambitious Mars missions by China. The country is hoping to retrieve Martian soil samples some time in 2030 and send astronauts to there as soon as 2033, according to *SCMP*. NASA has also made considerable headway in studying the Red Planet up close, successfully landing [on eight occasions](). But with unprecedented investment in space travel, China may just have a chance to close the gap. **READ MORE:** [China releases new Mars images as nation marks 100 days of red planet exploration]() \[*South China Morning Post*\] **More on China:** *[NASA Has a New Plan After Mars Rover Fumbles Rock Collection]()* ## 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]()