Tianwen-3

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Tianwen-3 (Chinese: 天问三号) is a planned robotic Mars sample-return mission of the China National Space Administration scheduled to launch in 2028, returning to Earth by 2031. The mission is focused on identifying biosignatures indicating life on Mars. The mission profile uses two spacecraft, an orbiter/Earth-returner and a lander/ascent-vehicle, similar to China's lunar sample return missions Chang'e 5 and Chang'e 6. Unlike those missions, the vehicles will use two separate launches to Mars, each aboard a Long March 5 rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Site. It is planned to use the December 2028–January 2029 Mars launch window. If successful, it would be the world's first Mars sample return; the status of the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return remains unclear. The mission will include planetary protection measures to prevent forward contamination. Early plans also called for a helicopter and crawling robot, which remain unconfirmed. Tianwen-3 will be the third Mars mission of the Chinese space program, after the failed Yinghuo-1 orbiter (2011) and the successful Tianwen-1 orbiter, lander, and rover (2020–present). It is the third mission of the Planetary Exploration of China program, after Tianwen-2, an asteroid and comet mission.