Search for extraterrestrial life: China shows first photo of Mars explorer to pave way
China has distributed the very first photo of his Martian explorer. It will be launched towards the red planet in 2020 and land there eight months later.
The photo, which was distributed by the Chinese state medium China Global Television Network (CGTN), shows an encapsulated spacecraft. That spacecraft would include an orbiter, lander and robber.
The Mars Rover eventually has to land on the red planet to collect samples. The American space agency NASA is already working on this with its Marsrover Insight. In 2030 the samples must eventually return to earth.
Extraterrestrial life
If the mission to Mars goes well, China will go one step further. “When circumstances permit, related projects will be set up that revolve around major scientific issues such as the origins and evolution of the solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life,” read the document released by the Chinese government last year.
