China has named its first-ever Mars rover "Zhurong" after an ancient fire god ahead of a landing attempt on the Red Planet in May.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed the name at the sixth China Space Day held in Nanjing on Saturday (April 24).
Zhurong was the most popular of 10 shortlisted names for a public vote that opened in January, and that choice was backed by an expert panel and the CNSA itself.
Related: The latest news about China's space program
Going with the fire god is apt, for the Chinese name for Mars, "Huoxing," literally means "fire star."
The roughly 530-lb. (240 kilograms) solar-powered Zhurong rover is part of the Tianwen-1 mission, which launched in July 2020 and arrived in orbit around Mars in February.
The Tianwen-1 orbiter has been collecting high-resolution images of Zhurongs target landing site in Utopia Planitia. The landing attempt is expected in mid-May, according to a senior Chinese space scientist.
The rover carries panoramic and multispectral cameras and instruments to analyze the composition of rocks. Zhurong will also investigate subsurface characteristics with ground-penetrating radar, if all goes according to plan.
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
More:
Meet 'Zhurong': China names Tianwen-1 Mars rover ahead of mid-May landing attempt - Space.com
- Two new books explore Mars and what it means to be human - Science News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- The United Arab Emirates' Hope mission to Mars in photos - Space.com [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Why mastering the Moon is vital before missions to Mars - Flightglobal [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- What will astronauts need to survive the dangerous journey to Mars? - Science News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Perseverance: the new mission to Mars | News - The Guardian [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- 3 Countries Are Scheduled To Send Spacecraft To Mars This Summer - NPR [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Mars Mission From United Arab Emirates Embarks on 7-Month Journey - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- NASA's Mars Rover Drivers Need Your Help NASAs Mars ... [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Mars Facts: Life, Water and Robots on the Red Planet | Space [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Mars Facts - Interesting Facts about Planet Mars [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Overview | Mars NASA Solar System Exploration [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- NASAs Mars Exploration Program [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Mars Petcare India appoints Pitchfork Partners as their strategic communication consultant - The Financial Express [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- UAE's Mars probe has covered 20% of its journey in a month - Khaleej Times [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Planetwide Storms May Have Filled Lakes, Rivers on Ancient Mars - Astrobiology Magazine [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Ancient Mars Had Planet-Wide Rainstorms So Intense They Breached Its Lakes - ScienceAlert [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Follow NASAs Perseverance rover in real time as it heads toward Mars - Digital Trends [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Massive lava tubes on the moon and Mars could be used by astronauts - CNN [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- No, Mars Wont Be As Big As The Moon On August 27. Heres When And Where To See Them Together - Forbes [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- This Mars helicopter will be the first ever to fly on another planet - The Next Web [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Bacteria could survive the trip to Mars in the form of thick aggregates - UPI News [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- It Rained So Hard on Ancient Mars that Craters Filled Up and Overflowed - Universe Today [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Follow NASA's Perseverance Rover in Real Time on Its Way to Mars - NASA Mars Exploration [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Yes, The First Humans On Mars Should Consider Becoming Cave-Dwellers - Forbes [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- China's Mars mission tests instruments on its way to the Red Planet - Space.com [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Mars Will Make Its Closest Appearance Since 2018 Next Month - Sarasota [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- Frazetta's 'The Princess Of Mars' Leads Heritage Auctions' Comics & Comic Art Sale - Antiques and the Arts Online [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- The Expanse Season 5: Earth, Mars or Belters - Who the Real Villain Is - Screen Rant [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- JAXA's MMX mission will capture Mars and its moons in 8K - New Atlas [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- 'Like a scene from Mars': Skies in parts of California turn orange as wildfires rage - NBC News [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- Mars hires former IFT chief science and technology officer as new head of R&D - FoodNavigator-USA.com [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- Here is your 2020 Mars observation guide for Arizona - KTAR.com [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- Jersey Skies: Viewing the 'dusky' details of Mars as it makes close approach to Earth - Jersey's Best [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- 8K views of Mars on the menu for Martian moon mission spacecraft - CNET [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- Would becoming one of the first people to settle Mars be worth dying for? | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: September 15th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 15th, 2020]
- Prominent attorney Tom Mars weighs in on whether Big Ten players who signed with agents can opt back in for 2020 - Saturday Down South [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- An inside look at how Mars Wrigley is working to save Halloween - Candy Industry [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Le Mars, IA police officer dismissed after investigation of social media posts - KTIV [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Mars is a planet to watch over the next month; Heres why - MLive.com [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Forget Mars, NASA considers a mission to Venus - The Indian Express [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Turning the Red Planet green: How we'll grow crops on Mars - BBC Focus Magazine [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Mars travelers could use this Earthly fiber to build on Mars - BGR [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Sols 2885-2886: Once More With MTBSTFA NASA's Mars Exploration Program - NASA Mars Exploration [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- We won't live on Mars any time soon despite what people like Elon Musk might try and tell us - iNews [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- NASA Mars rover runs first-of-its-kind experiment seeking clues to ancient life - CNET [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- This is how we should build on Mars, scientists say - CNN [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2020]
- Mars Express Finds Even More Ponds of Water Under the Ground on Mars - Universe Today [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- The Mars Inn, Loftus, to be sold at auction - The Northern Echo [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Is There a Painted Desert on Mars? - SETI Institute [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- The TOZ-81 'Mars' Gun Was The Soviet Union's Ultimate Space Revolver - The Drive [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- 300000 Young People Explore STEM Through A "Mission to Mars" In the 2020 4-H STEM Challenge - PRNewswire [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Sols 2901-2903: Warts and All! - NASA Mars Exploration [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Photos of fiery Mars, nearly at its best in 2 years - EarthSky [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- ExoMars 2022: The Way Forward to Mars - SciTechDaily [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- NASA Looks to Use 3D Printing Construction for Future Infrastructure on Mars and the Moon - SpaceCoastDaily.com [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Buried lakes of salty water on Mars may provide conditions for life - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Venus May Have Phosphine, But Mars Has Lakes Of LIQUID Water - Astrobites [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- A better way to search for traces of life on Mars and beyond! (op-ed) - Space.com [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- You don't want to miss Mars shining bright this fall - Space.com [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Can We Still Go to Mars? - The Atlantic [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Don't miss Mars and the nearly full moon huddling together in tonight's sky - Space.com [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- You can track NASA's 2020 Mars rover Perseverance on its journey to the Red Planet - Space.com [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2020]
- Mars reveals progress on its Cocoa For Generations billion-dollar cocoa sustainability plans - Confectionery Production [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- This Just In From The Mars News Channel... 10/30/2020 - MediaPost Communications [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Elon Musks SpaceX will make its own laws on Mars - The Independent [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Emirates Mars Mission kicks off 'Hope Generation' initiative to inspire a new generation of engineers - WAM EN [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- J-Pop Titans Arashi on Going Global, Working With Bruno Mars, and Upcoming Hiatus - Variety [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Astronomy: The Red Planet: Mars - RTL Today [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Scientists discover Mars-sized rogue planet aimlessly zooming through the Milky Way - CBS News [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Scientists discover evidence of water on Mars 4.4 billion years ago - Mirror Online [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Who can own property on the moon and mars? - The New Indian Express [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- A mission to 'Mars' at the HI-SEAS habitat: Live updates - Space.com [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Whats the bright star next to the moon tonight? Its Mars - Deseret News [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Water was formed 4.4 billion years ago on Mars - The Tribune [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Space.com is going to 'Mars' on a HI-SEAS habitat simulation - Space.com [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Life-hunting Perseverance rover is halfway to Mars - EarthSky [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2020]
- Drive-In movie kicks of Hometown Christmas weekend in Le Mars, IA - KTIV [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Fans Question Bruno Mars about Where He Had Been after He Trolls Artists over Grammy Snubs - AmoMama [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Elusive Internal Structure of Mars Revealed by Ancient Zircon Minerals From the Red Planet - SciTechDaily [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- A Beaver Moon Eclipse Meets Mars And The Seven Sister Stars: What You Can See In The Night Sky This Week - Forbes [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
