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Race to the Red Planet: China accelerates Mars mission timeline, signals confidence in exploration
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If successful, experts say this will be a historic first and solidify Beijing’s prowess in deep space exploration.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – The space race to Mars is heating up, as China announced it would bring forward by two years its mission to bring samples from the planet back to Earth, signalling rising confidence in its abilities to carry out a highly complex interplanetary mission ahead of other nations.
Beijing plans to carry out its Tianwen-3 – or heavenly questions – mission to Mars “around 2028”, two years ahead of an earlier 2030 estimate. If successful, experts say this will be a historic first and solidify Beijing’s prowess in deep space exploration.
