That’s why the Chinese Mars rover hasn’t woken up from hibernation

The first Chinese Mars rover is probably too thick with sand and dust to wake up from hibernation. After “Zhurong” itself was expected to start up again four months ago, the chief designer of China’s planetary exploration program Zhang Rongqiao told Chinese state television on Tuesday that electricity production would not be sufficient if the rover’s solar sails were powered by solar energy. energy is covered in dust 20 percent more than originally planned during construction.

If even 30 percent is exceeded, the necessary power capacity cannot be reached again until the sun is at its strongest, Zhang Rongqiao said. “If the level of dust cover exceeds 40 percent of our capacity, the rover will never wake up.” Named after the Chinese fire god, the rover was retired in May 2022 due to the cold, dusty winter on the red planet.

Although Zhurong was expected to wake up in December, there was no sign of life. The rover would wake up automatically when the power level reaches more than 140 watts and the temperature of the battery rises above minus 15 degrees Celsius.

“Zhurong” landed in May 2021 in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars. The flight makes China only the second spacefaring country after the United States to successfully deploy a reconnaissance vehicle to the Red Planet. The mission is already considered a success as all planned projects have been carried out. The rover traveled nearly two kilometers on the surface of Mars, accumulating a lot of scientific knowledge, finding traces of former water resources and operating for three months longer than planned. (aeg/sda/dpa)