China is set to outpace the U.S. in the race to Mars with its Mars Mission Tianwen-3. Beijing has accelerated its plans, aiming to launch the mission by 2028—two years earlier than previously scheduled. This ambitious timeline positions China as a major contender in the Mars exploration race and could see Martian soil samples returned to Earth as early as July 2031, a shift from the earlier projected 2030 launch date.

Liu Jizhong, chief designer of the Tianwen-3 mission, revealed the updated schedule at the Second International Conference on Deep Space Exploration in Huangshan, Anhui province. The mission is set to return about 600 grams of Martian soil, utilizing advanced technologies developed from previous missions like Chang’e-5 and Tianwen-1.

Astrophysicist Quentin Parker from the University of Hong Kong described the new timeline as “aggressive,” indicating that China might surpass the U.S. in the race to return Mars samples, according to his statement to myNEWS. The mission will also include 25 kilograms of space reserved for international payloads, allowing other countries or organizations to send their scientific instruments or experiments for collaborative space research.

In contrast, NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which aims to retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover, is experiencing significant delays and cost overruns. The MSR mission’s completion has now been projected into the 2040s, with NASA actively seeking alternative strategies to accelerate its timeline.