Tianwen-3

Tianwen-3 Chinese: 天问三号 is a planned interplanetary mission by China to send two spacecrafts (an orbiter/Earth-returner and a lander/ascent-vehicle) via two separate launches to Mars. Together, the two spacecrafts will seek to obtain samples of Martian rocks and soil and then return the cached samples to Earth.[2]

Tianwen-3
天问三号
Mission typeMars sample return
OperatorCNSA
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerCAST
Start of mission
Launch dateOrbiter/Earth-returner: November 2028 (proposed)[1]

Lander/ascent-vehicle: May or December 2028 (proposed)[1]
RocketOrbiter/Earth-returner: Long March 5

Lander/ascent-vehicle: Long March 5
Launch siteWenchang
End of mission
Landing dateJuly 2031 (samples returned to Earth)[1]
Mars orbiter
Orbital insertionAugust/September 2029 (proposed)[1]
Mars lander
Landing dateAugust 2030 or July 2029 (proposed)[1]
Earth lander
Landing dateJuly 2031 (proposed)[1]
 

Overview

In summer 2022 during a deep space exploration technology forum held at Nanjing University, Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 mission, detailed plans for a Mars sample-return mission based on a two-launch architecture. The mission, which appears to have the backing of senior government and space-industry authorities, is known as "Tianwen-3" and constitutes part of the Tianwen series of space missions.[2][3]

The current mission architecture envisions two launches during 2028 by the Long March 5 carrier rocket. One launch occurring in November 2028 will send an orbiter/return-vehicle on a "Trans Mars Injection" trajectory; this spacecraft is anticipated to enter Martian orbit in August or September 2029. A second launch in either May or December 2028 will send a lander/ascent-vehicle to Mars with potential landing dates occurring in August 2030 or July 2029 respectively (a potential May 2028 launch date would fall outside of the usual low-energy-least-time Earth-to-Mars launch window and result in longer interplanetary transit times compared to a November 2028 launch date).

Once the lander arrives on the Martian surface it will collect surface samples, possibly via a drill on the lander and an autonomous mobile robot with multiple legs.[3] In October 2030, 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, and the latter then will depart for Earth, also in October 2030. The samples are anticipated to arrive on Earth via an atmospheric reentry vehicle in July 2031.[1]

See also

References
  1. Jones, Andrew (15 September 2022). "Tianwen-3: China's Mars sample return mission". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. Elizabeth Howell (2022-06-21). "China plans to return Mars samples to Earth in 2031: report". Space.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  3. Jones, Andrew (2022-06-20). "China aims to bring Mars samples to Earth 2 years before NASA, ESA mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
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