China is going to take a lead over US in the Mars Mission. Beijing’s Mars Mission Tianwen-3 is planned to go two years ahead of its decided schedule, positioning China as a leading force in the race to Mars. This means China is on track to execute its mission by 2028, bringing Martian soil samples back to Earth as early as July 2031. This timeline is a significant shift from the previously anticipated 2030 launch date.
The announcement was made by Liu Jizhong, the chief designer of the Tianwen-3 mission, at the Second International Conference on Deep Space Exploration in Huangshan, Anhui province. Liu detailed that the mission will aim to return approximately 600 grams of Martian soil using advanced technologies build from prior missions like Chang’e-5 and Tianwen-1.
Astrophysicist Quentin Parker of the University of Hong Kong remarked that this new schedule is “aggressive,” suggesting that there are high chances China could beat the US in race to bring home Mars sample in his statement to myNEWS. The mission will include 25 kilograms of space available for international payloads which basically means that other countries or organisations can send their scientific instruments or experiments along with China’s Mars mission for international collaboration in space research.
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In contrast, NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which aims to retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover, faces significant delays and cost overruns. The MSR mission’s estimated completion has been pushed to the 2040s, and NASA is exploring alternative strategies to expedite the process.
