China’s ‘Zhurong’ Rover Is About to Land on Mars Image: Xinhua Later today, China will attempt to become just the second country to successfully deploy a probe on Mars. Here’s what we know about this historic mission and how China will attempt to overcome its own “seven minutes of terror.” Advertisement After months of waiting, the cat is finally out of the bag. China’s secretive space agency had been tight-lipped about the timing of the landing, but Ye Peijian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, disclosed the information during a lecture in Beijing yesterday, saying the new rover will reach the Martian surface on Saturday, May 15 at 7:11 a.m. local time (Friday, May 14 at 7:11 p.m. EDT/ 11:11 p.m. UTC).