China lands rover on Mars in ‘milestone’ achievement

The entry capsule safely touched down at 7:18 p.m. Eastern time Friday, though it took about an hour for ground controllers to determine that the mission had been a success, state media reported. During the perilous journey through the Martian atmosphere, the craft had to operate autonomously, and signals could not be transmitted back to ground control until the robotic rover had landed and unfolded its solar panels and antenna.