Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

China continues to blueprint its future exploration plans for the Red Planet – hauling back samples from Mars.

According to several reports from state-run sources, China is marching ahead on lofting a Mars land, grab, snag, save sample-return mission around 2028.

China’s Tianwen-3 mission is on the books with two launches to Mars, aiming to rocket samples of that world to Earth.

Two launch undertaking

Liu Jizhong, chief designer of China’s Mars sample-return mission, unveiled the details of the plan at the recent 2nd International Deep Space Exploration Conference in Tunxi of Huangshan City in east China’s Anhui Province.

Tianwen-1 Mars mission, launched in July 2020 – successfully landing on the Red Planet and deposited its Zhurong rover.
Image credit: Kanyan Xu/COSPAR

Liu said that China has retrieved the first ever samples from the far side of the Moon with the Chang’e-6 mission this year – a technological feat that mirrors in many ways a return sample effort at Mars.

Two launches

“Since Mars is much farther away than the Moon,” Liu noted, “it will take two launches to carry out the Mars sample-return mission due to the limited carrying capacities of our current rockets. Two Long March-5 carrier rockets will be used for the mission,” Liu told Xinhua in an interview.

Liu explained that China’s Tianwen-3 mission aims to search for evidence of life as its top scientific goal. Technically, it will tackle key challenges like sampling, taking off from the surface, orbit rendezvous, and planetary protection.

China’s Mars Sample Return mission.
Image credit: Kanyan Xu/COSPAR

13 phases

The China mission to Mars is mapped out in 13 phases, using both on-site and remote sensing to study Martian samples and data for signs of life. It wants to ensure the samples will be retrieved and that the mission can yield scientific results, Liu said.

In terms of planetary protection, Liu added that the mission will strictly abide by international agreements, avoiding bringing pollution to or back from the planet while making sure Mars, Earth, and the samples are uncontaminated.

Additionally, China’s Tianwen-3 mission will carry payloads developed through international cooperation including joint research on Mars samples and detection data, Liu said.

Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab

The primary scientific goal of the Tianwen-3 mission will be to search for signs of life on Mars. Other exploration investigations will include the Martian climate and its evolution, Martian geology and the planet’s internal processes.

As noted by China Central Television (CCTV), Liu explained that China’s Tianwen-3 mission aims to search for evidence of life as its top scientific goal. Technically, it will tackle key challenges like sampling, taking off from the surface, orbit rendezvous, and planetary protection.

Go to video about this mission at: https://x.com/i/status/1814666691135353119

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