By Andrea Hargraves 
The Director of NASA Science Expeditions, Thomas Zurbuchen, used Twitter to congratulate the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) on the successful landing of the Chinese robot on Mars on Friday (14). China is the second country with the ability to operate a robot on the red planet.
“In cooperation with the global scientific community, I look forward to the important contributions this mission will bring to a greater understanding of the red planet by humanity,” Zurbuchen said on Twitter.
- Chinese robot Zhurong lands on Mars to start investigations on the planet
Robot, called Zhurong – god of fire, in Chinese mythology It was attached to the Tianwen 1 probe, which entered Mars orbit in February this year.
A NASA director congratulates the Chinese National Space Administration on the landing of a robot on Mars – Photo: Twitter | Reproduction
China announced through its state media that its first robot landed on the surface of Mars on Friday (14), at 8 pm GMT.
With the mission successful, China became the second country capable of operating a robot on the Red Planet, after the United States, in 1976.
Since 1960, there have been more than 40 space missions to Mars, but only half of them have been successful.
Video: A Chinese robot lands on Mars to start investigations on the planet