China's Mars rover in complex terrain, travels over 800 meters

A picture of where China's Mars rover Zhurong just passed. /CNSA

China's Mars rover Zhurong has traveled a total of 808 meters on the surface of the red planet as of Friday and is passing over a complex terrain, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Zhurong has been working for 82 Martian days, said the CNSA. A Martian day is approximately 40 minutes longer than a day on the Earth.

The rover is currently traversing on a complex terrain scattered with rocks, craters and sand dunes. When it meets a scientific target, the rover will conduct a probe with the scientific payloads it carries, and obtain scientific data during the journey.

The orbiter, which serves as a relay satellite for the Mars mission, has been working in orbit for 379 days, with a one-way communication delay of about 21.4 minutes between the orbiter and the Earth.

All systems are in normal operation, the CNSA said.