China plans to collect samples of Martian soil by 2031 through the Tianwen-3 mission, which will combine landing, collection and delivery in one integrated operation, the official Xinhua news agency reported today.
The plan calls for two launches around 2028, with the aim of landing and collecting samples from the same point on the red planet, giving priority to geologically diverse regions such as Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia, out of a total of 86 possible destinations.
These areas, which include coastlines, deltas and ancient lakes, are considered candidates for searching for possible life forms preserved in their sediments.
The mission, described in detail by the China Deep Space Exploration Laboratory in the journal National Science Review, will have instruments specifically designed to detect traces of life, optimizing the preservation of samples collected on the surface and by drilling.
The lab also said the Tianwen-3 mission is part of a broader exploration program that includes the upcoming Tianwen-4 mission to study the Jupiter system and its evolution.
The strategy, according to the mission's chief scientist, Hou Zengqian, and its chief designer, Liu Jizhong, includes considerations such as "where to collect samples", "what to choose", "how to collect" and "how to use" the collected materials.
China has invested heavily in the space program in recent years, achieving important milestones such as the landing of the Chang'e 4 probe on the far side of the moon, the arrival on Mars and the construction of Tiangong, which will operate for about ten years.
The Chinese platform could become the world's only space station from 2031, if the International Space Station, run by the United States and banned from China due to its military ties to its space program, is retired as planned.
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