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China’s Mars mission

China’s Mars mission
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China’s Mars mission. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
China’s prototype Qingzhou experimental cargo spacecraft and two small satellites were launched on March 30. Photo: CAS Innovation Academy for Microsatellites
Science

China revives desert moss in space lab as it tests hi-tech tools for missions

Latest in-orbit results from prototype Qingzhou cargo spacecraft show China is testing cameras, refrigeration and bio-support capsule.

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Space

Editorial | The time may be ripe for China-US space cooperation

Science

China-led study finds sign of liquid water in Mars

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Science

US risks being left in Chinese plasma engine’s wake as Mars race intensifies

While Nasa’s budgetary struggle continues, the red planet may be a step closer for China after it unveiled a powerful new plasma engine.

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China’s Mars orbiter Tianwen-1 circles above the north polar region of the red planet. A newly unveiled powerful plasma engine brings China’s technology closer to that of leader in the field Russia. Photo: Xinhua
Science

China’s Mars mission leaves US for space dust with Nasa at least 4 years behind

Samples collected by Perseverance rover not expected until at least 2035, four years behind Tianwen-3’s ‘grab-and-go’ timetable.

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SCMP Highlights

Recap | China’s Death Star-like weapon system, SpaceSail rivals Starlink: 6 science stories

Explore China’s cutting-edge innovations and latest scientific advancements in some of our latest science coverage.

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Science

How a Chinese spacecraft will catch Mars rock samples for journey to Earth

A lightweight device on an orbiting module will capture a container about the size of a coffee can.

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As China gets closer to launch date for its Tianwen-3 Mars mission, scientists have designed a device to safely capture rock samples for the all-important return back to Earth. Photo: Shutterstock
SCMP Highlights

Recap | Musk casts shadow on China’s space ambitions, moon sample swap stalls and more space news

US-China space rivalry, stalled moon sample swap talks, Shenzhou’s pioneering female space flight engineer and more latest China space news.

Science

China’s Mars rover Zhurong finds evidence of ancient ocean on red planet

Data from Tianwen-1 mission offers clues about coastline of short-lived sea on Martian surface around 3.5 billion years ago, researchers say.

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Science

China scientists develop space battery that can run on Mars’ atmosphere: paper

The lightweight, rechargeable battery’s design means it operates like a fuel cell and can handle the extreme Martian temperatures.

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A battery developed by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China could operate for nearly two Martian months at zero degrees, they say. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

China sets 2028 date for historic Mars mission – as US plan left in limbo

In the race for the red planet, China has taken the lead, with its Tianwen-3 mission launch date brought forward two years.

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China is set to bring forward its Mars mission launch date, while US space agency Nasa is struggling with delays and cost blowouts to get its Mars rock samples back to Earth. Photo: Shutterstock
China's space programme

Opinion | It’s not rocket science: Hong Kong needs to jump on Chinese space bandwagon

Top-tier cities in mainland China are planning to foster commercial space ecosystems of their own. Mainland NewSpace companies are keen to connect to the world through Hong Kong. The city’s government should take note.

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Science

China’s Mars sample return mission ‘progressing smoothly’ while Nasa struggles

NPC deputy and spacecraft designer Sun Zezhou says key technologies needed for Tianwen-3 mission are ‘in place’ while the US Mars Sample Return programme is battling soaring costs.

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Video | Evidence of water on Mars found by China’s Zhu Rong rover

China’s Zhu Rong rover discovers evidence of an ancient sea on Mars
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China's space programme

Video | China’s space plans: Moon, Mars, Jupiter

China’s space plans: lunar GPS, a 3D-printed moon base and soil samples from Mars
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Science

China unveils global maps of Mars based on Tianwen-1 orbiter photos

The colour-coded maps will add to our knowledge of the red planet and improve planning for future missions, says Chinese space agency.

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Science

Chinese scientists scramble to wake Mars rover, plan to send probe: sources

China still waiting for signal from Zhurong, which was supposed to power on after sleeping through red planet’s sandstorm season.

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China's space programme

China hopes rocket to send people to the moon will be ready by 2027

The head of the country’s biggest space contractor says the rocket will be able to carry a lunar orbiter and lander for a three-person mission.

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China is hoping to send astronauts to the moon by around 2030. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Science

Nasa’s new rover an imitation of China’s Mars robot, scientists say

The US has long accused China of stealing space technology, but Artemis programme’s VIPER appears to borrow from Chinese rover Zhu Rong, which features caterpillar-inspired suspension system.

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Science

Chinese radar study lends weight to theory of ancient ocean on Mars

Using a ground-penetrating radar on the Zhu Rong rover, scientists found a layer of rocks likely to be sediment from a catastrophic flood 3 billion years ago.

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China's space programme

It’s a wrap for China Mars mission, but rover and orbiter still good to go

China’s space agency marks completion of Tianwen-1 mission with new photos of red planet volcano and polar cap.

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China’s space agency released new photos of Mars taken by the Tianwen-1 probe to mark the completion of the country’s first mission to the planet on Wednesday. Photo: CNSA
Science

China on track to retrieve Martian rocks by 2031, says mission designer

China’s timeline is two years ahead of a US-European planned Mars mission to return samples to Earth for laboratory testing, according to Sun Zezhou.

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China’s Mars rover Zhu Rong is pictured next to the landing platform with a Chinese national flag on it, taken by a remote camera on Mars in June 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/China National Space Administration
Science

China’s rover finds evidence of water on Mars more recently than thought

Current geological age has been seen as a time when the planet was cold and dry, but scientists say their analysis of data from the rover suggests a more active surface hydrosphere in this period.

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China's space programme

China’s Mars rover ‘selfies’ suggest dust storms on red planet

Researchers studying Zhu Rong data point to valuable inputs on ‘habitability evolution of Mars’.

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Science

China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter uses ‘selfie stick’ to capture ice caps on Mars

Space agency publishes videos of its spacecraft against backdrop of polar caps made from a mixture of frozen carbon dioxide and water.

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China has published videos showing its Mars orbiter Tianwen-1 against the background showing frost patches, which the CNSA says are ice caps. Photo: CNSA
Science

Video | China’s Tianwen-1 sends Mars images

New images of Mars sent back by China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter
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China's space programme

China’s Tianwen-1 sends back pictures from orbit around Mars

Images show the ice caps on the north pole of the red planet as one of the country’s most ambitious space missions continues.

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China's space programme

From ISS rival to sea rocket launcher: 4 Chinese space targets for 2022

China has big ambitions relating to the moon and Mars projects for 2022 and it has six launches planned to expand the Tiangong space station.

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