A photo of a dusty, rocky Martian surface and a Chinese rover and lander together has been released by the China National Space Administration, with

China's Mars rover Zhurong takes group picture on the Red Planet

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2021-06-14 00:30:04

A photo of a dusty, rocky Martian surface and a Chinese rover and lander together has been released by the China National Space Administration, with a wireless camera making the dual selfie possible.

Three other photos were also released on Friday, showing the upper stage of the Zhurong rover and the view from the rover before it rolled off its platform.

Zhurong placed a remote camera about 10 metres from the landing platform, then withdrew to take a group portrait, the CNSA said.

China landed the Tianwen-1 spacecraft carrying the rover on Mars last month after it spent about three months orbiting the Red Planet. China is only the second country to land and operate a spacecraft on Mars, after the United States.

The orbiter and lander both display small Chinese flags and the lander has outlines of the mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The six-wheeled rover is surveying an area known as Utopia Planitia, searching for signs of water or ice that could lend clues as to whether Mars ever sustained life.