Chinese Mars missions may be in trouble
Posted: Sun, Jan 15, 2023, 11:05 AM ET (1605 GMT)
China's first Mars orbiter and rover appear to be in trouble. The Zhurong rover, which went into hibernation last year during the winter season at its Utopia Planitia landing site, was expected to resume operations in December. However, according to Chinese sources, the rover has not yet made contact with controllers. While there has so far been no official comment, the rover may have been impacted by dust storms in the area that reduce the ability of the rover to generate power from its solar panels. Controllers have also experienced problems trying to contact the Tianwen-1 spacecraft orbiting Mars, which they hoped to use to communicate with Zhurong.
China's first Mars orbiter and rover appear to be in trouble. The Zhurong rover, which went into hibernation last year during the winter season at its Utopia Planitia landing site, was expected to resume operations in December. However, according to Chinese sources, the rover has not yet made contact with controllers. While there has so far been no official comment, the rover may have been impacted by dust storms in the area that reduce the ability of the rover to generate power from its solar panels. Controllers have also experienced problems trying to contact the Tianwen-1 spacecraft orbiting Mars, which they hoped to use to communicate with Zhurong.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, September 10
Axiom Space, ESA Partner On Innovation, LEO Access
Aviation Week — 12:59 am ET (0459 GMT) Eutelsat Taps Airbus and Aerospacelab for OneWeb and IRIS² Satellites
ViaSatellite — 12:57 am ET (0457 GMT) Eutelsat Readies Another OneWeb Top-Up Order With Airbus
Aviation Week — 12:57 am ET (0457 GMT) Eutelsat selects Arianespace for two launches to support the renewal of its OneWeb constellation
Arianespace — 12:57 am ET (0457 GMT) Rocket Lab Successfully Launches 16th Electron Mission Of The Year, Solidifies Status as World’s Leading Small Launch Provider
Rocket Lab — 12:56 am ET (0456 GMT) |
