China has advanced the launch of its Tianwen 3 Mars sample-return mission to 2028. The new timeline, two years sooner than originally planned, suggests that China could bring Mars samples to Earth as soon as 2031.
Speaking at the second International Deep Space Exploration Conference (also known as the Tiandu Forum) in China’s Anhui province last week, Liu Jizhong, the chief designer of the Tianwen 3 mission, said the effort will consist of two rocket launches from Earth. One will carry a lander and a two-stage ascent vehicle, and the other an orbiter and Earth-return craft.
