Tianwen-1: How China's Mars lander Zhurong will attempt to touch down on the red planet

Tianwen-1 will use a laser range finder to work out where it is relative to Martian terrain and microwave sensor to determine its speed more accurately. A successful Mars landing requires entering the atmosphere at very high speeds, then slowing the spacecraft down just the right way as it approaches its landing location. Mars Pathfinder spacecraft used parachutes to decelerate while relying on a unique airbag system that sprung into action in the final few seconds to absorb the landing shock. Zhurong: the ‘fire god' The Chinese Tianwen-1 rover landing is the next Mars mission. It has already been circling the red planet since it entered Mars’s orbit on February 24 and will attempt to land its rover Zhurong – which means “fire god” – in mid-May.