China has unveiled new photos of its Mars rover exploring the surface of the red planet, with state media hailing it as a sign of the mission's "complete success." The Zhurong Rover, named after the Chinese god of fire touched down on Mars on 15 May. This is China's first Mars mission, making it only the second country to successfully land a rover on the planet, after the United States.

The new photos this Friday included a 360-degree panorama of the landing area and the orange Martian surface, with scattered rocks, a circular crater on the far side and dunes in the distance. Another image shows the Chinese flag near the landing platform. The rover also took a selfie using a wireless camera, showing its extended solar panels and a tiny Chinese flag emblazoned on its equipment.

The six-wheeled solar-powered rover is intended to last three months, during which it will search for evidence of ancient life. While the rover explores the planet, its orbiter is also conducting scientific detection operations.

The head of China’s national space agency says "China will publish the related scientific data in a timely manner to let humankind share in the fruits of the country's space exploration development."