Tianwen-3 mission to return first Chinese Mars samples by 2031

On April 24, 2025, at the 10th China Space Day ceremony, the China National Space Administration opened international partnership slots for its Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission. Scheduled for late 2028 to early 2029, the mission will launch two Long March 5 rockets: one carrying a lander and ascent vehicle, the other an orbiter and Earth-return spacecraft​.

Tianwen-3’s architecture comprises a lander, an ascent module, a service module, an orbiter, and a return capsule. China has allocated 20 kilograms of payload capacity—15 kg for the orbiter and 5 kg for the lander—to instruments from global research teams​. Key objectives include detecting potential biosignatures, probing subsurface layers, and studying Mars’ geology and atmosphere.

Scientific payloads will feature a Mars Subsurface Penetrating Radar to map underground structures and a Raman and Fluorescence Analyzer for organic molecule detection. The orbiter will host an Energetic Neutral Atom and Aurora Detector alongside a vector magnetometer. The return orbiter adds a mid-infrared hyperspectral imager and a multispectral camera for high-resolution surface mapping​.

Three landing zones—Amazonis Planitia, Utopia Planitia, and Chryse Planitia—were preselected from 86 candidates based on biosignature preservation potential and engineering constraints such as altitude and illumination. Samples are expected back on Earth by 2031 after the orbiter maintains a 350 km circular orbit and the service module completes a two-Martian-year elliptical campaign​.

Tianwen-3 would mark a major step in planetary exploration. If successful, it would return the first Chinese Mars samples and cement China’s role as a leader in deep-space science.