China plans to launch its Tianwen-3 Mars mission to 2028 — with return plans (with Martian soil) mission in 2031. The mission will consist of two Long March 5 rockets carrying a lander, ascent vehicle, orbiter, and return module. The technology used will build on the successful Tianwen-1 rover landing.
Liu Jizhong, the mission’s chief designer, provided an update during a recent conference on deep space exploration. He emphasized that the primary scientific goal is to search for evidence of life on Mars. Landing areas will be selected based on their astrobiological relevance and geological diversity.
The mission faces challenges such as sampling, taking off from Mars’ surface, achieving orbit rendezvous, and ensuring planetary protection. China will adhere to international agreements to avoid contamination of Mars or Earth. Tianwen-3 includes plans for international cooperation in areas like payloads, samples, data sharing, and future research planning.
China aims to work with global scientists to study and share Martian samples and data.
Mars sample return mission plans
China has previously made samples from its Chang’e-5 lunar mission available for international research.
Looking ahead, Tianwen-3 will involve partnerships to define objectives for a future Mars research station. While NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission has experienced setbacks, China is moving forward with its plans. Officials announced that Tianwen-3 will blast off in 2028, aiming to land, retrieve a sample, and take off again to dock with a return vehicle in orbit.
China also unveiled plans for a Tianwen-4 mission to Jupiter in 2030 and a conceptual plan for its first mission to test defenses against a near-Earth asteroid. These announcements showcase China’s ambitious space exploration goals. China’s first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, arrived in February 2021 and included an orbiter, lander, and rover named Zhurong.
The rover found hydrated minerals likely associated with groundwater, making China the third nation to land on Mars successfully. The Tianwen-3 mission will include a suite of spacecraft to land, collect, and store samples, then launch them back to an orbiting spacecraft for the journey to Earth. China has approved four missions for planetary exploration within the next 10 to 15 years.
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