Associate Administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen congratulated on Saturday China on the successful landing of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft on the Mars surface.
Earlier in the day, China said that Tianwen-1 with the country’s first Mars rover Zhurong had successfully landed on the Red Planet.
“Congratulations to CNSA’s #Tianwen1 team for the successful landing of China’s first Mars exploration rover, #Zhurong! Together with the global science community, I look forward to the important contributions this mission will make to humanity’s understanding of the Red Planet,” Zurbuchen wrote on his Twitter page.
Earlier, the Chinese spacecraft Tianwen-1 with the country’s first Mars rover Zhurong successfully landed on Saturday on the surface of the Red Planet, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The probe was launched on July 23 and successfully entered Mars’ parking orbit in February. Tianwen-1 is China’s first independent mission to Mars and the world’s 46th since 1960.
Named after Zhurong, the God of fire and war in Chinese mythology, the traveler set out in July 2020 and reached Mars in seven months, while it took three months to orbit. The probe was launched on July 23 and successfully entered Mars’ parking orbit in February. Tianwen-1 is China’s first independent mission to Mars and the world’s 46th since 1960.
