China's Mars rover, which has been sleeping on the surface of the red planet for longer than predicted since May 2022, has likely experienced an excessive buildup of sand and dust, according to the mission designer, who broke months of quiet over the spacecraft's condition.
The completely robotic Zhurong, which took its name from a mythological Chinese deity of fire, was predicted to have awoken in December 2022 after going into a scheduled sleep mode in May 2022 as a result of reduced solar radiation brought on by the arrival of winter on Mars.
According to Zhang Rongqiao, the principal designer of China's Mars exploration program, a buildup of dust most certainly had an impact on power generation and the rover's capacity to awaken. This information was broadcast on Tuesday by state media on China, CCTV.
Zhang claimed that the Zhurong had moved 1,921 meters (2,100 yards) and spent 358 days on the Martian surface, greatly beyond the mission's planned three-month duration.
According to the University of Arizona, which oversees a high-resolution camera on board NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, images returned from Mars showed the Chinese rover had not changed its position since at least between September 8, 2022, and February 7, 2023. It is the most potent camera ever launched to another planet.
Despite the fact that it was not certain that the Zhurong would ever reawaken, Andrew Jones, a reporter who specializes in China's space project, tweeted on Tuesday that an official update on the rover's status would be welcome.
Therefore, this is not definitive. Jones noted in a tweet that it was difficult to determine the amount of dust covering Zhurong's solar panels from orbit, adding that it might still awaken at the summer solstice on Mars in July.
"It can apply active dust-cleaning techniques if it can wake up. But it might already be lost," he continued.
Therefore, this is not definitive. Jones noted in a tweet that it was difficult to determine the amount of dust covering Zhurong's solar panels from orbit, adding that it might still awaken at the summer solstice on Mars in July.
"It can apply active dust-cleaning techniques if it can wake up. But it might already be lost," he continued.
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