China’s Tianwen-3 Mission Could Beat the U.S. in the Race to Grab Mars Rocks

China’s Tianwen-3 Mission Could Beat the U.S. in the Race to Grab Mars Rocks

Launching in 2028, China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission could bring Red Planet rocks back to Earth as early as 2031—years ahead of competing U.S.-European efforts

HKU Astrobiologist Collaborates on China's Tianwen-3 Mars Sample

In a groundbreaking development in the quest for extraterrestrial life, China’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, Tianwen-3, has officially been launched, marking a pivotal moment in planetary exploration. This ambitious endeavor seeks to collect samples from the Martian surface and return them to Earth, where they will undergo meticulous examination to determine if life ever thrived on the Red Planet—or if it may still exist today. As one of th…