Close-Up of Zhurong’s Parachute

The Tianwen-1 mission’s lander and the Zhurong rover successfully landed on the southern part of Utopia Planitia, Mars, on 14 May 2021, at 23:18 UTC (15 May, 07:18 China Standard Time). On 12 July 2021, Zhurong approached the parachute and the backshell that were jettisoned during the landing process. The close-up image was taken using the Navigation and Terrain Camera(NaTeCam) from a distance of about 30 metres away from the backshell and 350 metres away from the landing site. The Tianwen-1 mission’s parachute is 34 metres long, has an area of 200 square metres when fully stretched, and can reduce the speed of the landing from Mach 2 to 95 metres per second. Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/China National Space Administration (CNSA)