SpaceNews reports (quoting the South China Morning Post) that the Zhurong 1 Mars rover as part of the Tianwen 1 mission for China has failed to make contact in December as planned after its period of hibernation during the Northern Hemisphere Martian winter since 18 May. It is thought that dust covering the solar arrays may be the fault. The rover is not expected to be recovered. The rover lasted for several months longer than planned. Meanwhile, the Tianwen 1 relay orbiter itself appears to have had some faults with Ttlemetry issues/data reception issues reported..
Artists impression of the Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars. Courtesy: Xinhua
