China’s ‘Zhurong’ rover successfully lands on Mars, says state media

China’s “Zhurong” rover has successfully landed on Mars, the state media reported on Saturday, quotes AFP. Citing the National Space Administration, China’s Xinhua News Agency said that the lander has touched down.

The rover successfully landed on the Red Planet after the “seven minutes of terror” — descending through the Martian air, which has earlier thwarted many attempts by international missions to land, reports AFP. 

The rover will stay in the lander for a few days before its rolls down a ramp and explore an icy area of Mars, which is called Utopia Planitia, according to the Associated Press. Zhurong rover will join NASA’s Perseverance, which landed on Mars in February.  

While this is China’s first Mars landing, the US has successfully landed nine rovers on the Red Planet since 1976.