Which country became the second nation to land a rover on Mars after the US in May 2021?

Mars exploration represents a significant challenge in space technology, with the United States historically leading successful rover landings. In May 2021, China achieved a monumental milestone by successfully landing its Zhurong rover on Mars as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, becoming only the second nation to accomplish this feat. This demonstrated China's rapidly advancing capabilities in deep space exploration.

• Russia (A) has a rich history in space but has faced numerous challenges and failures in its attempts to land probes or rovers on Mars.
• India (C) made history with its Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) in 2014, successfully placing a spacecraft in Mars' orbit, but has not yet attempted a rover landing.
• Germany (D) contributes significantly to European Space Agency (ESA) missions, including Mars exploration, but does not independently operate a Mars rover program.

Therefore, China's Zhurong rover marked a pivotal moment, establishing it as the second country to successfully operate a rover on the Martian surface.