Abstract

As part of the Tianwen-1 mission, the Zhurong rover successfully touched down in southern Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021. On the basis of the new sub-metre-resolution images from the High Resolution Imaging Camera on board the Tianwen-1 orbiter, we determined that the Zhurong rover landed at 109.925° E, 25.066° N at an elevation of −4,099.4 m. The landing site is near the highland–lowland boundary1 and multiple suspected shorelines2–7. Under the guidance of the remote sensing survey, the Zhurong rover is travelling south for specific in situ investigation. Supported by the six payloads on board the rover8, its initial key targets are rocks, rocky fields, transverse aeolian ridges and subsurface structures along the path. Extended investigation will aim at troughs and cones in the distance. A better understanding of the formation mechanisms of these targets may shed light on the historical volcanism and water/ice activities within the landing area, as well as the activities of the wind. These results may reveal the characteristics and evolution of the ancient Martian environment and advance the exploration of the habitability of ancient Mars.

Highlights

  • As part of the Tianwen-1 mission, the Zhurong rover successfully touched down in southern Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021

  • The primary candidate landing area is near the highland–lowland boundary (HLB) and multiple suspected shorelines

  • Before the Zhurong rover landed on Mars, the Tianwen-1 orbiter spent about three months conducting a detailed remote sensing survey on the primary candidate landing area via the High Resolution

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Summary

Introduction

As part of the Tianwen-1 mission, the Zhurong rover successfully touched down in southern Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021. Before the Zhurong rover landed on Mars, the Tianwen-1 orbiter spent about three months conducting a detailed remote sensing survey on the primary candidate landing area via the High Resolution At 7:18 (Coordinated Universal Time + 8) on 15 May 2021, the Zhurong rover successfully landed in this area and captured panorama images around the landing site using the onboard Navigation and Terrain Cameras (NaTeCams) (Fig. 1b).

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