Which large plain is the landing region of China's Zhurong rover?

China’s Zhurong rover landed in Utopia Planitia on Mars. The landing occurred on 14 May 2021 as part of China’s Tianwen-1 mission, which combined an orbiter, lander, and rover in one expedition.

Utopia Planitia is a vast plain in Mars’s northern hemisphere, within the planet’s lowland region. Mission planners selected it because its relatively smooth terrain offered favorable engineering conditions, while its geological history could reveal evidence about ancient water and possible ice beneath the surface.

Zhurong was deployed from its lander on 22 May 2021 and began traversing the plain. Its instruments studied surface rocks, soil, weather, magnetic conditions, and subsurface layers with ground-penetrating radar. The rover’s name comes from Zhu Rong, a figure associated with fire in Chinese mythology.

A common mix-up is Elysium Planitia, another major Martian plain and the landing site of NASA’s InSight lander. Meridiani Planum hosted Opportunity, while Hellas Planitia is a giant impact basin.