China Didn't Fake Mars Landing
The Claim
China faked the Mars landing.
News posted on
Emerging story
Many have reported that China has joined the U.S. as another country to have landed a spacecraft on Mars. However, some on social media questioned the validity of the reports.
Misbar’s Analysis
According to PBS.org, on Saturday, May 15, 2021, China landed a spacecraft on Mars. Touchdown was at 7:18 a.m. Beijing time, although more than an hour passed before ground controllers could confirm the landing was a success, according to the official Chinese Xinhua News Agency. China’s landing followed the launch of the main module of its first permanent space station that will eventually host astronauts long term.
The Chinese rover, named Zhurong (after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology), joins NASA's rovers as the only wheeled robots on the surface of Mars according to MIT Technology Review. This is a big step forward in the Chinese space mission because landing on Mars is no easy task. Half of all of NASA’s missions to Mars have ended in failure.
The Chinese spacecraft is solar-powered, carries only six instruments, and is expected to last just 90 Martian days. According to Space.com, Zhurong will spend its first seven to eight days on the Martian surface checking out its surroundings before rolling out on May 21st or 22nd. The spacecraft will spend at least three months conducting geological studies and looking for water, ice, and conducting other experiments. The U.S. and China may soon also be joined by the United Arab Emirates’ since one of their spacecraft has recently entered into orbit around Mars.
