China's Mars Rover Appears to Have Stopped Roving
upstart writes:
China's Mars rover appears to have stopped roving:
China's Zhurong rover landed on Mars to great local fanfare in May 2021 before it set about exploring the dusty surface.
But recent images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have shown that Zhurong has not moved for at least the last five months. And China has so far said nothing on the matter.
[...] We do know that the vehicle had been put in a state of hibernation four months earlier so that it could sleep through the harsh winter conditions in Mars' Utopia Planitia region. After that, it was expected that the rover would continue with its explorations toward the end of 2022, when the improved conditions would have allowed for the efficient powering of the rover's onboard battery.
But rather than offer an update on the condition of its rover, the Chinese space authorities have thus far failed to offer any meaningful news about Zhurong, and whether it's expected to start working again.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity, a source said last month it seemed that "most likely the sandstorms have seriously weakened Zhurong's capacity to use its solar panels to generate power."
[...] Mars is famous for its harsh sandstorms, indeed, it's this very same issue that finally prevented power generation on NASA's InSight lander, forcing the mission to end in December.
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