NASA may have been the first to land a series of rovers on the Martian surface, but China is hoping to be the first to return samples from the Red Planet back to Earth.
The Chinese space program has a good chance of landing a rover on Mars in 2020, which would leave other spacefaring countries in the dust.
China hopes to return samples from Mars by July 2031, two years before NASA, according to a presentation by the chief designer of the mission.
In an ambitious mission with a lot of moving parts including NASA's Perseverance rover, the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter is unlikely to return to Earth until at least 2033
The Chinese mission will be slightly less ambitious than the others. The country's Long March rockets will send a lander and ascent vehicle to Mars, with the latter returning to Earth with samples from the local soil.
The country's experience includes landing a rover on the surface of the Red Planet, as well as retrieving lunar samples with its Chang'e 5 mission.
China is emerging as a country to watch when it comes to space exploration, as NASA is bogged down with other notable projects.
China wants to bring Mars samples to Earth in 2 years.
There are more on Mars samples.
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