China is revving up its cosmic ambitions with the Tianwen-3 mission, targeting Mars sample returns by 2028! 🌍✨ Chief designer Liu Jizhong dropped the news at the International Deep Space Exploration Conference in Anhui Province, revealing plans to collect Martian soil and rocks—a feat only attempted by a few nations.
The mission will mirror China’s lunar sampling successes: land, collect samples, launch back into orbit, and dock for the trip home. The big goal? Hunting for signs of life 🔍—a quest that could rewrite our understanding of the Red Planet!
Liu emphasized global teamwork, inviting international partners to share payloads, data, and future mission planning. 🤝 ‘This isn’t just China’s mission—it’s humanity’s next leap,’ he hinted.
Meanwhile, Tianwen-2 is prepping for a 2025 launch to snag asteroid samples, while Tianwen-4 plans to zoom toward Jupiter by 2030. With four planetary missions greenlit, China’s space agenda is hotter than a rocket launchpad! 🔥
