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China's spacecraft lands on Mars, closing gap with US in space exploration

A China National Space Administration (CNSA) lander from the Tianwen-1, which has been in orbit since February, touched down on Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars

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The lander was carrying the Zhurong rover, named after an ancient Chinese god of fire, which will explore the surface near the landing site. (Representative Image)

Bruce Einhorn| Bloomberg

4 min read Last Updated : May 15 2021 | 9:22 AM IST

A Chinese spacecraft has landed on Mars, making China only the second country after the U.S. to send a rover to the surface of the Red Planet.

A China National Space Administration (CNSA) lander from the Tianwen-1, which has been in orbit since February, touched down on Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars on Saturday at about 7 a.m. local time, according to reports by state media CCTV.

The lander was carrying the Zhurong rover, named after an ancient Chinese god of fire, which will explore the surface near the landing site.

“The Tianwen-1 mission

Topics : China Mars Mission Chinese space station

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