Prototypes of the Mars rover were debuted at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition last week, but we didn’t think that the country would be planning to use them so soon. The prototypes seem to have inspired Chinese researchers to keep pushing ahead for a Mars mission which will supposedly happen in 2020. Chine is becoming increasingly focused on space exploration, with the fairly recent deployment of Yutu around the Moon.
Chinese scientists from the China National Space Administration have confirmed that China is set on launching its own Mars mission in less than a decade. While the Chinese government hasn’t confirmed the scientists’ statements, the Administration is putting in a lot of effort to get the project approved by the government. Researchers have already begun work on the project, trying to determine how the Mars rover prototype will behave once it hits the Red Planet and what kind of precautions the team would have to take.
According to the scientists, the aim of the Mars mission is to be able to pull three things off in one try. They want to send the Mars rover to orbit, land and roam the surface of the Red Planet. Peng Tao, a space expert working with the CNSA said that it would be an advantage for them if they managed to succeed in this endeavor, because American or European attempts would need three tries to do all the probing, orbiting and landing. The Chinese National Space Administration wants to do all three in one run and get back in the race against Europe and the U.S. for space exploration.
Even though China has been focusing on space exploration more and more, it remains to be seen whether the Mars rover and the Mars mission will be approved by the Chinese government, If so, and the Mars rover mission will be as successful as Peng Tao hopes it will be, China will once again rise to the top when it comes to space exploration. While the U.S. and India have both tried their hands with Mars by either landing Mars rovers or putting a satellite in the orbit of the Red Planet, the Mars rover prototype from China might be faster and more efficient once it hits the soil.