China's growing presence in space has been undeniable since the turn of the century. Between sending the first “taikonaut” into space in 2003 (Yang Liwei), launching China's first robotic mission to the moon (Chang'e-1) in 2007, and deploying its Tiangong space station between 2021 and 2022, China has achieved success developed into a major power in space. Accordingly, they have bold plans for the future, such as the planned expansion of their Tiangong space station and the creation of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035.
In its desire to become a space power to rival NASA, China has also set its sights on Mars. In addition to manned missions that will culminate in a “permanent base,” they intend to conduct a sample return mission in the near future. This will be carried out by the Tianwen-3 mission, currently scheduled to launch in 2028 and returning samples to Earth by 2031. In a recent article, the Tianwen-3 science team explained its exploration strategy, including the methods used to obtain the samples, the target locations, and how to analyze them for biosignatures that could indicate the presence of past life.
Zengqian Hou was the paper's lead author, a geologist at the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS) and leader of the mission team. His teammates included the mission's chief designer, Liu Jizhong, and colleagues from DSEL, the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The article was recently published in the November issue of National Science Review.
This image was captured by a small camera dropped from China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft to photograph the spacecraft in orbit over Mars' north pole. Photo credit: CNSA/PEC
This mission is the third in China's Tianwen (Chinese for “Questions to Heaven”) exploration program. The previous mission (Tianwen-1) included an orbiter, a lander and the Zhurong rover, which reached Mars in February 2021. The successful deployment of this mission made China the third country (after the Soviet Union and the United States) to land on Mars. Highlights of the mission include the orbiter's mapping of the entire surface of Mars and Zhurong's discovery of hydrated minerals, further confirming that Mars once had liquid water on its surface.
Jizhong first shared the news of this latest mission at the 2nd International Deep Space Exploration Conference, held September 4-7 in Huangshan City, China. However, few details have been revealed at this time, although a paper published at the same time suggested that the mission could involve a helicopter similar to NASA's Ingenuity. According to the latest information from Jizhong, the Tianwen-3 will consist of two launches with the Long March 5 (CZ-5) rocket sometime in 2028. While one CZ-5 sends the orbiter/return vehicle, the second sends the lander/ascent vehicle. As Liu told state news agency Xinhua:
“China recovered the first samples from the far side of the moon this year with the Chang'e-6 mission. Since Mars is much further away than the Moon, two launches are required to complete the Mars sample return mission due to the limited carrying capacity of our current rockets. Two Long March-5 launchers will be used for the mission.”
Other details include the team's proposed 86 potential landing sites, primarily focused on the ancient regions of Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia. These areas are considered good places to search for potential biosignatures that could preserve remnants of ancient life. These include features indicating the presence of former water, including delta fans, lake beds and the shoreline, suggesting the presence of a former ocean in the northern lowlands. The team also stated that Tianwen-3 will carry payloads developed with international partners.
A wireless camera captured this “group photo” of China's Tianwen-1 lander and rover on the surface of Mars. Photo credit: CNSA
They also highlighted the need for new tools specifically designed for biosignature detection. To this end, they have developed a 13-stage mission plan using in-situ and remote sensing detection technologies. Liu also revealed that the mission will rely on multi-point surface sampling, fixed-point deep drilling and airborne sampling to obtain various samples. They also state that China will conduct research on Mars samples and detection data together with scientists around the world.
From this latest news, it is clear that China intends to pre-empt the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission planned by NASA and ESA. Due to budget cuts announced earlier this year, this mission is currently in the design phase. Similarly, China has indicated that the Tianwen-4 mission will explore the Jupiter system to learn more about its moons and their evolutionary history. This mission is scheduled to launch in September 2029 and follows NASA's Europa Clipper and ESA's JUpiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE).
This is in line with China's pattern of following in NASA's footsteps, catching up with it and surpassing it as a leader in space exploration. If they manage to return Mars samples to Earth before NASA or ESA, they will have accomplished a task that no other space agency has accomplished. However, given the scientific value of these samples and the international collaboration that will go into their analysis, this will be of benefit to everyone.
Further reading: CGTN, Xinhua
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