In the escalating space race with the United States, China is aiming to set a new precedent by becoming the first country to bring Martian soil samples back to Earth. This ambitious endeavor is scheduled to launch in 2028, with an expected return to Earth in July 2031.China Mars Mission Competition with USA
While NASA and the European Space Agency have proposed a joint mission to retrieve a Mars sample, their return is not expected until 2033. The Chinese mission, named Tianwen-3, represents the third phase of a trilogy of missions. Tianwen-1, the first Chinese mission to Mars, included an orbiter and a rover that successfully explored the planet’s surface, notably searching for subsurface water pockets. Tianwen-2, set to launch in May 2025, will mirror Japan’s Hayabusa and America’s OSIRIS-REx missions, focusing on exploring the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and the comet 311P/PANSTARRS.
Tianwen-3 combines the capabilities of its predecessors, employing two spacecrafts, one for landing and sample collection, and the other for orbiting Mars and transporting the samples back to Earth.
New Challenges
Tianwen-1 faced a significant hurdle when its rover entered a planned hibernation in May 2022 but failed to wake up in December 2022 as expected. This led scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Atmospheric Physics to develop a new numerical model to simulate Martian atmospheric conditions. A recent study published in the “Chinese Science Bulletin” has successfully replicated unique Martian surface pressure characteristics, aiding in Martian weather predictions, especially for phenomena like dust storms, which significantly impact entry, landing, and sample collection phases.
A Different Kind of Race
This development is part of the broader space competition between China and the United States. For decades, the U.S. dominated space exploration, consistently leading in various missions since the Apollo lunar project. However, China is rapidly catching up, marked by achievements such as operating the world’s largest radio telescope, FAST, and being the first to land on the far side of the moon with the Chang’e-4 mission. Furthermore, China’s Tiangong space station, already operational, is set to become the most significant space station after the International Space Station’s expected retirement in 2031. These developments not only hold scientific significance but also carry profound political implications.
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