<p>China's fully robotic rover on Mars, in longer-than-expected hibernation since May 2022, likely met with excessive accumulation of sand and dust, its mission designer said, breaking months of silence about the status of the vehicle.</p>.<p>The motorised rover Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, was expected to have woken up in December after entering a planned sleep mode in May 2022 as falling solar radiation with the advent of winter cut its power generation.</p>.<p>An unforeseen pile-up of dust most likely affected power generation and Zhurong's ability to wake up, Chinese state television reported on Tuesday, quoting Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China's Mars exploration programme.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/nasa-unveils-mars-habitat-for-year-long-experiments-on-earth-1208766.html" target="_blank">NASA unveils 'Mars' habitat for year-long experiments on Earth</a></strong></p>.<p>A camera on board a NASA probe orbiting Mars showed the Chinese rover had not moved since at least September, according to official images.</p>.<p>The 240-kg (530-pound) Zhurong, which has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera, was tasked with studying the planet's surface soil and atmosphere after landing with no mishap in May 2021.</p>.<p>Powered by solar energy, Zhurong also looked for signs of ancient life, including any subsurface water and ice, using a ground-penetrating radar.</p>.<p>The rover had explored the Martian surface for 358 days and travelled for 1,921 metres (2,100 yards), Zhang said, far exceeding its original mission time-span of three months.</p>.<p>Aside from Zhurong, two other robotic rovers have been operating on Mars - NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity, with the former roaming the planet's surface for more than two years and the latter for over a decade. </p>
<p>China's fully robotic rover on Mars, in longer-than-expected hibernation since May 2022, likely met with excessive accumulation of sand and dust, its mission designer said, breaking months of silence about the status of the vehicle.</p>.<p>The motorised rover Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, was expected to have woken up in December after entering a planned sleep mode in May 2022 as falling solar radiation with the advent of winter cut its power generation.</p>.<p>An unforeseen pile-up of dust most likely affected power generation and Zhurong's ability to wake up, Chinese state television reported on Tuesday, quoting Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China's Mars exploration programme.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/nasa-unveils-mars-habitat-for-year-long-experiments-on-earth-1208766.html" target="_blank">NASA unveils 'Mars' habitat for year-long experiments on Earth</a></strong></p>.<p>A camera on board a NASA probe orbiting Mars showed the Chinese rover had not moved since at least September, according to official images.</p>.<p>The 240-kg (530-pound) Zhurong, which has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera, was tasked with studying the planet's surface soil and atmosphere after landing with no mishap in May 2021.</p>.<p>Powered by solar energy, Zhurong also looked for signs of ancient life, including any subsurface water and ice, using a ground-penetrating radar.</p>.<p>The rover had explored the Martian surface for 358 days and travelled for 1,921 metres (2,100 yards), Zhang said, far exceeding its original mission time-span of three months.</p>.<p>Aside from Zhurong, two other robotic rovers have been operating on Mars - NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity, with the former roaming the planet's surface for more than two years and the latter for over a decade. </p>