Images captured by a Chinese rover depicting the dusty, rocky surface of Mars have been revealed by the country’s space agency.

Four pictures released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) show the Zhurong rover and lander bearing small national flags.

The CNSA said Zhurong placed a remote camera about 33ft from the landing platform – then withdrew to take a selfie.

The Martian rover
The landing platform with a Chinese national flag and outlines of the mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics on Mars is seen from the rover Zhurong (CNSA/AP)



The orbiter and lander both display small Chinese flags, and the lander bears outlines of the mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The six-wheeled rover is surveying an area known as Utopia Planitia, searching for signs of water or ice that could lend clues as to whether Mars ever sustained life.

At 6ft in height, Zhurong is significantly smaller than the US’s Perseverance rover, which is exploring the planet with a tiny helicopter.


In addition to the Mars mission, China’s ambitious space programme plans to send the first crew to its new space station next week.



Subsequent launches are planned to expand the station, send supplies and exchange crews.

China has also has brought back lunar samples, the first by any country’s space programme since the 1970s, and landed a probe and rover on the moon’s less explored far side.