China plans to send a mission to Mars: details revealed.

China launches Tianwen-3 mission to collect samples from Mars

China plans to launch its Tianwen-3 mission, which involves collecting samples from Mars and returning them to Earth, in 2028. This was reported by SpaceNews.

The chief designer of Tianwen-3, Liu Jizhong, shared updated details of the mission at the international conference on deep space exploration (Tiandu) in Anhui province, China.

"Tianwen-3 will consist of two launches from Earth, each using a Long March 5 rocket, a lander, ascender, orbiter, and return module. The landing technology will be similar to that of the Tianwen-1 rover," said Liu Jizhong.

The mission may also include a helicopter and a six-legged robot for collecting samples from distant locations on Mars.

Earlier this year, Sun Jiezhou, a senior engineer at the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), told state media that work on Tianwen-3 is almost complete and the launch is planned for 2030.

"The mission schedule was set between 2028 and 2030, as optimal launch windows for Mars occur every 26 months for a few weeks," said Sun Jiezhou.

It is worth noting that NASA is also working on a more complex mission to return samples from Mars. However, the program has undergone reassessment due to expected financial costs. Currently, research is being conducted to find faster and cheaper concepts for delivering samples to the ground.