--- title: "Something Is Reportedly Wrong With China’s Mars Rover" description: "China's Zhurong rover might be in big trouble well over a year and a half into its stint on the Martian surface." date: "2023-01-06" modified: "2023-01-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/something-wrong-china-mars-rover" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "mars" - "the digest" - "zhurong" --- # Something Is Reportedly Wrong With China’s Mars Rover ![China's Zhurong rover might be in big trouble well over a year and a half into its stint on the Martian surface.]() *\Image: CNSA\* ## Wake Up China's Zhurong rover might be in big trouble, after more than a [year and a half]() into its stint on the Martian surface. Scientists are scrambling to get the rover to wake from hibernation, sources [tell the *South China Morning Post*](), a safety protocol meant to shield it from a brutal Martian winter filled with powerful sandstorms. The rover was put into sleep mode back in May, but scientists have been struggling to get it to jump back into action since late December — an unfortunate fate for a mission that's already [been declared a success]() by Chinese authorities. ## Dust Cover One source familiar with the matter told the newspaper that "most likely the sandstorms have seriously weakened Zhurong’s capacity to use its solar panels to generate power." NASA's Mars landers have already suffered similar fates. Early last year, NASA's InSight lander struggled to recharge its batteries due to [Martian dust covering its solar panels](). Then in December, NASA [announced]() the end of the mission. Making matters worse for China's Mars exploration program, scientists are also struggling to take images of the Zhurong rover using China's Tianwen-1 probe, which is circling the Red Planet in an elliptical orbit. The rover was meant to wake up once a certain power level and temperature threshold had been met, according to the *SCMP*. While its ultimate fate is still in unknown, Zhurong has already vastly exceeded expectations. The rover was initially designed to wander the Martian landscape for a mere three months. So far, it managed to travel well over a mile over an entire year before being put into hibernation mode. **READ MORE:** [Chinese scientists scramble to wake Mars rover, plan to send probe to investigate, sources say]() \[*South China Morning Post*\] **More on Zhurong:** *[Chinese Mars Rover Reportedly Touches Down on Surface of Mars]()* ## 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]()