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The motorized rover Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god
of fire, was expected to have woken up in December after
entering a planned sleep mode in May 2022 as falling solar
radiation with the advent of winter cut its power generation.
An unforeseen pile-up of dust most likely affected power
generation and Zhurong's ability to wake up, Chinese state
television reported on Tuesday, quoting Zhang Rongqiao, chief
designer of China's Mars exploration program.
A camera on board a NASA probe orbiting Mars showed the Chinese
rover had not moved since at least September, according to
official images.
The 240-kg (530-pound) Zhurong, which has six scientific
instruments including a high-resolution topography camera, was
tasked with studying the planet's surface soil and atmosphere
after landing with no mishap in May 2021.
Powered by solar energy, Zhurong also looked for signs of
ancient life, including any subsurface water and ice, using a
ground-penetrating radar.
The rover had explored the Martian surface for 358 days and
travelled for 1,921 metres (2,100 yards), Zhang said, far
exceeding its original mission time-span of three months.
Aside from Zhurong, two other robotic rovers have been operating
on Mars - NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity, with the former
roaming the planet's surface for more than two years and the
latter for over a decade.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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