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China's Zhurong rover has remained stationary on Mars since September 2022.
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The solar-powered rover entered a planned hibernation state in May 2022 to ride out low solar radiation levels during winter in Mars’s Utopia Planitia region.
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The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured images of the rover on March 11, 2022, Sept. 8, 2022, and Feb. 7, 2023.26
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The lack of movement suggests that Zhurong may have accumulated a covering of Martian dust on its surface, which could impact its functions.
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Zhurong does not carry a radioisotope heater unit but instead uses n-undecane for heating and a coating of aerogel for insulation.
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Chinese authorities have not provided an update on the status of the rover, and the mission team has yet to receive a signal from Zhurong.
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The Tianwen-1 orbiter, which entered orbit around Mars in February 2021, is operating well and has completed its primary science objectives.
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The Tianwen-1 mission made China the second country to successfully operate a rover on the Red Planet.
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Zhurong had a primary mission lifetime of three Earth months but operated for just over one Earth year on the Martian surface before entering hibernation.
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Tianwen-1 is expected to conduct aerobraking tests as part of preparation for a Mars sample return mission potentially launching later this decade.