The projected mission launch is more ambitious than a 2030 target announced by space officials earlier this year, though the timeline has fluctuated in recent years. It also comes as an effort by NASA and the European Space Agency to retrieve Mars samples remains under assessment amid concerns over budget, complexity and risk. Becoming the first country to return samples from Mars would be a significant accomplishment for China’s ambitious space program and leader Xi Jinping’s stated “eternal dream” to make the country a space power. A key priority of China’s Tianwen-3 mission would be to search for traces of life on Mars. “The return mission requires launch from the surface of Mars.

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Persons: Liu Jizhong, Xi Jinping’s, Liu, CGTN, It’s, China's Tianwen, ”, Planitia, Mars, Bill Nelson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, NASA, European Space Agency, AP Missions, US Locations: Hong Kong, China’s Anhui, China’s, China, Soviet Union, United States