They made the discovery after studying the images taken by their Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera in September 2022 and February 2023.
China had sent their rover, Zhurong, to the red planet back in May 2021 as a part of its Tianwen-1 mission. The name, which refers to a Chinese mytho-historial figure that is often associated with fire and light, was a nod to Mars being called “the Planet of Fire” in eastern countries like China. The rover’s mission was to study topography, examine the Martian soil, survey the local elements, and sample the atmosphere. This was the country’s very first interplanetary mission.
Their solar-powered motor vehicle landed on the Utopia Planitia plain and journeyed two kilometres across Mars before coming to a stop. The Nasa images taken on September 8, 2022, and February 7, 2023, showed that the blue-hued rover was stood stationary near a crater on the surface of Mars.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post that was released in January, the mission team has not been receiving any signals from the rover since it went into hibernation last May. The hibernation was triggered by the low solar-radiation levels, which Zhurong needs to produce energy.
The team was hoping that they would be able to get back in touch with Zhurong in December 2022, when the solar-radiation levels returned to more favourable levels and allowed the rover to charge its batteries, but this hasn’t been the case.
Some astronomers have since theorised that the rover might be covered with Martian dust, which would impact its solar panels and ability to generate electrical power. However, scientists say, there is still hope.
