China’s first Mars exploration mission, Tianwen-1 probe (dubbed Zhurong) has successfully landed on Mars.

Zhurong rover will now start to carry out imaging and self-inspections before it rolls out onto the planet's surface, according to China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The mission was successfully launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on 23 July 2020 on a Long March 5 heavy-lift launch vehicle.

On February 10th, 2021, the Tianwen-1 probe entered the Martian orbit for scientific exploration and a huge amount of scientific data is available up to date.

“With the evaluation of the flight status, Tianwen-1 probe is scheduled to perform landing campaign targeting Utopia Planitia at the proper slot from the early morning of May 15th to May 19th Beijing time,” China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.  (ILKHA)