https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2026/0428/c95952-20451040.html

The China National Space Administration (CNSC) announced that the Tianwen-3 mission is planned to launch around 2028 and aims for a sample return to Mars around 2031.

The orbiter will carry three cooperative payloads. Specifically, the Mars PEX spectrometer, developed under the leadership of the International Space Research Committee (COSPAR) Exploration Working Group, will search for traces of life on Mars and explore the surface mineral composition. The Mars Molecular Ion Component Analyzer, developed under the leadership of the Macau University of Science and Technology, will observe the dissipation processes of the Martian atmosphere. The laser heterodyne spectrometer, developed under the leadership of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, will observe the water isotope profile distribution and the wind field of the Martian atmosphere.

The server will carry the Mars Surface High Spectroscopic Imager, developed under the leadership of the University of Hong Kong, for exploration including the detection of traces of life, water-containing minerals, and resource surveys.

The lander will carry a laser retroreflector array, developed under the leadership of the Frascati National Laboratory of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), which will be used to establish high-precision reference points on the Martian surface.