China’s National Space Administration detailed that the vehicle, called Zhurong, descended from the landing module and touched the Martian surface at 10:40 a.m. Shanghai time.

This took place just a week after the probe arrived in the south of Utopia Planitia, and two days after it sent its first images back to Earth.

China is the third country to achieve a similar feat, after Russia and the United States.

The Tianwen-1 mission was launched last July in the middle of a global race with the aim of detecting signs of life and determine whether it is possible to terraform Mars in the future.

In addition to the rover, the module includes an orbiter offering communication services and 13 explosive charges for geological tasks.

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