China is aspiring to take back to Earth the first rock samples from Mars in 2031. This is two years earlier than the NASA and ESA joint mission.
Sun Zezhuo, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter and rover mission outlined the ambitious Tianwen-3 sample return mission this week.
To attain its goal of collection and delivering Mars rock samples to Earth, China aims to launch a spacecraft in late 2028. The mission would bring rock samples to our planet in July 2031.
China's Mission Would Fulfill Major Scientific Goals of Space Exploration
China's mission, if successful, would bring the first collected Martian samples to Earth. This is a major scientific goals of space exploration.
The Mars Sample Return campaign was delayed by NASA based on the agency's announcement in March. To reduce the overall risk of the program, NASA plans to split a lander mission into two separate spacecraft.
"ESA's Earth Return Orbiter would launch in 2027, and the samples would return to Earth in 2033 under the revised schedule," according to Space News.
There will be two combinations, a lander and ascent vehicle, and an orbiter and return module, for Tianwen-3. The two combinations will launch separately on Long March 5 and Long March 3B rockets, respectively, according to Space News.
It was suggested that a single future Long March 9 super heavy-lift rocket will be used, as suggested by earlier statements.
The landing of the spacecraft on the Red Planet would happen at around September 2029. Surface sampling, drilling and mobile intelligent sampling will be done in collecting samples. This would potentially use a four-legged robot.
Some of the major challenges for the mission include the technological complexity and requirements for autonomy.
Another issue is the landing would take place around the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere. Potential sand storms and low solar energy availability are possible difficulties that may be experienced.
Read Also: China Mars Rover Zhurong Camera: Martian Surface Video, Audio Recorded [Where to Watch Online]
China Demonstrated that it has the Technology to Reach Mars
The simplicity of China's proposed mission contributed to the tighter time frame. Tianwen-3 is far from NASA's more complex plan, for it would "involve a single Mars landing and a more straightforward sample collection process," according to the Digital Trends.
Last year, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) showed that it possesses the technology to reach Mars. Moreover, the agency demonstrated that they can deploy a rover to the surface.
Several steps are required to return samples to Earth. The steps involve "blasting the material back into space in an ascent vehicle, transferring it to an Earth-bound spacecraft, traveling back toward Earth, and releasing a capsule containing the samples for the final descent to the ground," as per the Digital Trends report.
Both the CNSA and NASA missions are highly complex. Both missions require a huge amount of research and testing. The two space agencies are also well aware it is possible for things to go wrong at any stage.
However, delivering samples to Earth is rewarding for scientists. Also, it would unravel the mysteries as whether any form of life ever existed on the Red Planet.
Related Article: China Rover Extends Stay on Mars: Zhurong Will Take a Break Before Resuming its Mission
