China no longer gets news from its Mars rover

China no longer gets news from its Mars rover

The Chinese Mars rover has not given any sign of life since the end of its hibernation. While the official press releases remain murky, one wonders if the rover will survive the Martian winter.

Zurong is the first rover Mars mission Tianwen-1 Chinese Space Agency, CNSA. The rover has landed On the northern plain of Utopia Planitia with a lander on May 14, 2021. During one year, as the rover traveled 1,921 meters, versions indicated its progression until the advent of the Martian winter.

The approaching Martian winter means a drop in temperature, down to -120 degrees Celsius. Under these conditions, the rover is poorly equipped to heat up and cannot function properly. So it was planned to put it to ‘sleep’ until winter had passed and the temperature had risen to around -15°C. On May 18, 2022, I became Zhurong Put it into hibernation, until the end of December. The mission was also temporarily suspended when Mars moved away from the Sun relative to Earth, making communication impossible.

There is no official news on the rover

Zhurong’s hibernation was supposed to end at the end of December, around the Martian vernal equinox (December 26). At that time, the temperature is high enough and exposure to the sun allows the rover’s solar panels to provide sufficient current. But there is no news of his awakening.

Was Zurong covered with a lot of sand during the winter? Mars Insight was dusted off last yearBut it took years. In addition, Zhurong’s butterfly-winged solar panels are coated with an anti-dust film and the rover can “flap”, that is, move its panels to remove sediment. However, this process costs a lot of energy while the rover is supposed to wake up.

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Radio amateurs have it statment Difficulties experienced by Chinese operators in communicating with Tianwen-1 orbiter. This person was supposed to do some braking maneuvers in the atmosphere to prepare Future Chinese Mars sample return mission. The orbiter served as a relay to communicate with the rover, but now we can do without it. This morning, SAST, Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technologyin charge of operations, replied In a press release That the probe is doing fine, but nothing about the rover. Continued…

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About the Author: Octávio Florencio

"Evangelista zumbi. Pensador. Criador ávido. Fanático pela internet premiado. Fanático incurável pela web."

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