''Tianwen-3'' () is a planned

Mars sample-return mission A Mars sample-return (MSR) mission is a proposed mission to collect rock and dust samples on Mars and sample-return mission, return them to Earth. Such a mission would allow more extensive analysis than that allowed by onboard sensors. Risks ...

by China which would send two spacecraft (an orbiter/Earth-returner and a lander/ascent-vehicle) via two separate launches to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. Together, the two spacecraft will seek to obtain samples of Martian rocks and soil and then return the cached samples to Earth. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2028. The primary goal of the mission is to search for signatures of life on Mars.

Overview

In summer 2022 during a deep space exploration technology forum held at

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU) is a public university in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It is affiliated and sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The univers ...

, Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the

Tianwen-1 -1 ( zh , s = 天问一号) (also referred to as TW-1) is an interplanetary mission by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) which sent a robotic spacecraft to Mars, consisting of 6 spacecraft: an orbiter, two deployable cameras, lan ...

mission, detailed plans for the mission based on a two-launch architecture. The mission constitutes part of the Tianwen series of space missions. The current mission architecture envisions two launches around 2028 by the

Long March 5 Long March 5 (LM-5; zh, s=长征五号 , p=Chángzhēng wǔ hào) or Changzheng 5 (CZ-5), also known by its nickname "''Pang-Wu''" (胖五, "''Fat-Five''"), is a Chinese heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicl ...

carrier rocket. One launch will send an orbiter/return-vehicle. A second launch will send a lander/ascent-vehicle. Once the lander arrives on the Martian surface it will collect surface samples, via a drill on the lander and possibly an autonomous mobile robot with multiple legs. After several months on the Martian surface and after storing the samples collected by the lander and mobile robot, the ascent vehicle will launch from atop the lander and rendezvous with the waiting orbiter. The ascent vehicle will transfer the collected samples to the orbiter/return-vehicle, which will depart for Earth. The samples will be returned to Earth via an atmospheric reentry vehicle. Tianwen 3 preliminary landing sites

The main goal of the mission is search for life signatures. In 2024, scientists identified 51 potential landing sites in line with the missions current engineering constraints (

altitudes Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometry, geographical s ...

less than −3 km, latitudes from 17°N to 30°N, slopes less than 8°, and 'rock abundance' less than 10%): 1 in

Amazonis Planitia Amazonis Planitia (, Latin ''Amāzŏnis'') is one of the smoothest plains on Mars. It is located between the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic provinces, to the west of Olympus Mons, in the Amazonis and Memnonia quadrangles, centered at . Th ...

, 12 in

Utopia Planitia Utopia Planitia ( Greek and Latin: "Utopia Land Plain") is a large plain within Utopia, the largest recognized impact basin on Mars and in the Solar System with an estimated diameter of . It is the Martian region where the '' Viking 2'' lander t ...

, and 38 in Chryse Planitia or

Arabia Terra Arabia Terra is a large upland region in the north of Mars that lies mostly in the Arabia quadrangle, but a small part is in the Mare Acidalium quadrangle. It is densely cratered and heavily eroded. This battered topography indicates great age ...

International Collaboration

On 11 March 2025, CNSA opened the Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission to potential international partners. International teams can propose "piggyback payloads requiring support from the Tianwen-3 spacecraft or independent scientific instruments" for inclusion on the spacecraft. 15 kilograms of mass has been allocated on the Tianwen-3 Earth-return spacecraft for potential international scientific payloads and another 5 kilograms are available for partner payloads on the Mars orbiter. Interested parties may submit proposals by 30 June 2025 with a final selection targeted for October 2025. Flight hardware for the selected payloads are to be delivered in 2027.

References

External links

{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Space, Spaceflight, Solar System, China Chinese space probes Missions to Mars Proposed space probes Sample return missions 2028 in spaceflight

Overview

International Collaboration

See also

References

External links