China releases photos of rover operating on Mars

The dusty, rocky Martian surface and a Chinese rover and lander bearing small national flags were seen in photos released on Friday that the rover took on the red planet.

The four pictures released by the China National Space Administration also showed the upper stage of the Zhurong rover and the view from the rover before it rolled off its platform.

Zhurong placed a remote camera about 10 meters (33 feet) from the landing platform, then withdrew to take a group portrait, the CNSA said.

China landed the Tianwen-1 spacecraft carrying the rover on Mars last month after it spent about three months orbiting the red planet.

China is the second country to land and operate a spacecraft on Mars, after the United States.

At 1.85 meters (6 feet) in height, Zhurong is significantly smaller than the US's Perseverance rover which is exploring the planet with a tiny helicopter. NASA expects its rover to collect its first sample in July for return to Earth as early as 2031.

In addition to the Mars mission, China's ambitious space programme plans to send the first crew to its new space station next week.