China's rover arrives on Mars this month 0:34
(CNN) -
China successfully landed its rover on Mars, making it the second country in history to have a rover on the red planet.
The rover, Zhurong, named after a fire god in Chinese mythology, successfully landed on Saturday morning in the preselected area in Utopia Planitia on Mars, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
The six-wheeled, solar-powered Zhurong rover weighs around 240 kg and carries six scientific instruments.
It will then deploy from the lander for a 3-month mission in search of life on the surface of Mars.
The Tianwen-1 probe will transmit the signal from the rover's orbit during its mission and then conduct a global survey of the planet for one Martian year.
The probe has spent three months in orbit surveying the landing area before launching the rover to the surface.
The Tianwen-1 probe was launched by a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan on July 23 last year and spent 7 months en route to Mars before entering orbit on February 10, 2021.
Mars