According to sources, China plans to return Mars samples to Earth in 2031, two years ahead of the collaborative initiative between NASA and the European Space Agency.
In February of last year, China’s Tianwen-1 began sending photographs of Mars. In May 2021, the rover began its exploration of Mars.
During a presentation, Sun Zezhou, the primary designer of Tianwen-1, is said to have explained China’s ambition.
The plan called for the spacecraft to launch to Mars in 2028, and after conducting thorough study including sample and drilling, the spacecraft will depart Mars in 2030 and return to Earth in July 2031.
China’s space programme has received billions of dollars in funding. The country also intends to establish a lunar base.
According to Sun, the Tianwen-1 orbiter will also conduct sample return preparation. In 2020, China undertook a lunar sample return mission.
Three Chinese astronauts arrived in the country’s space station last month as the Communist nation’s complex space programme continues. The astronauts had launched from the Gobi desert aboard the Long March-2F rocket.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) opted to postpone their flights until 2028, with the Mars samples arriving in 2033 under a new timeline.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA are also in talks to send the first European to the Moon. Due to national security concerns, the United States excluded China from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011.
Post Your Comments