ZHURONG

Subject : Science & tech

Context: Recently, the China National Space Administration has announced that it will name its first Mars rover as ‘Zhurong’.

Concept :

It is China’s first Mars rover aboard the Tianwen-1 probe that arrived in Mars orbit in February 2020.
It is named after a traditional fire god.
The rover is part of Chinese space plans that include launching a crewed orbital station and landing a human on the moon.
The rover’s title fits with the Chinese name for Mars i.e. “Huo Xing” or fire star.
The top candidate for the landing site is Utopia Planitia, a rock-strewn plain where the U.S. lander Viking 2 touched down in 1976.

About Tianwen-1

Its goals include analysing and mapping the Martian surface and geology, looking for water ice and studying the climate and surface environment.
It is named after the ancient Chinese poem ‘Questions to Heaven’.
It is an all-in-one orbiter, lander and rover which will search the Martian surface for water, ice, investigate soil characteristics, and study the atmosphere, among completing other objectives.
It lifted off on a Long March 5 rocket, a launch system developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), from the Wenchang launch centre.
It will be the first to place a ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, which will be able to study local geology, as well as rock, ice, and dirt distribution.