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China's Mars rover sends back pictures after landing

Posted at 8:22 AM, May 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-20 10:26:49-04

We've got some fresh images of the surface of Mars – this time, thanks to China. 

The spacecraft called Zhurong, named after a god of fire in Chinese mythology, sent back its first shots of the red planet after a successful landing over the weekend. 

Zhurong joins NASA's Perseverance rover, which touched down on Mars in February and is now searching for clues of past life. A third mission to Mars, this one by the United Arab Emirates, also entered the planet's atmosphere in February but will not land. It's studying Mars from orbit.

China's Mars rover weighs around 530 lbs. and has six scientific instruments. It touched down in a large plain on the north side of Mars, close to where NASA's Viking 2 lander touched down in 1976.

This story originally reported by Kamil Zawadzki on Newsy.com.