Mission

Tianwen-3

China's Mars sample return mission, planned for launch around 2028 on two rockets, to bring samples from the Martian surface to Earth around 2031.

Tianwen-3 is a China National Space Administration (CNSA) mission to collect samples from the surface of Mars and send them back to Earth.[1] If it succeeds as planned, it would be the first mission to return material from Mars.[1]

The mission

The spacecraft has five parts: a lander, an ascender, a service capsule, an orbiter and a reentry module.[1] They are to launch around 2028 on two Long March 5 heavy-lift rockets from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province.[1] The samples are planned to reach Earth around 2031.[1]

Instruments

CNSA has announced five instruments from cooperative projects.[1] The orbiter is to carry a spectrometer to search for traces of life and study surface minerals, an analyzer to monitor how Mars loses its atmosphere, and a hyperspectral imaging spectrometer to detect water-bearing minerals and other resources.[1] The lander is to carry a laser retroreflector array from Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics to provide precise reference points on the surface.[1]

Why Mars samples

CNSA's planetary program focuses on major scientific goals, including the origin and evolution of the solar system and the search for life beyond Earth.[2] ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover is to search for signs of life on Mars with its own drill and laboratory.

Milestones

  1. In 2028 expected
    Two launches on Long March 5
  2. In 2031 expected
    Mars sample returns to Earth

Dates marked expected are agency estimates.

All missions and what each does next

Sources

  1. [1]China National Space Administration, China celebrates Space Day with a sneak peek at Tianwen 3's tech — cnsa.gov.cn, retrieved October 26, 2026
  2. [2]China National Space Administration, China plans new deep space exploration missions — cnsa.gov.cn, retrieved October 26, 2026

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