China's Tianwen-3 aims to return 500g Mars soil by 2031
Technology
China just announced its Tianwen-3 mission will try to collect and return soil from Mars by 2031.
Launching in 2028, the mission hopes to grab at least 500gm of Martian dirt, building on their earlier success when Tianwen-1 landed a rover on Mars in 2021.
China selects 5 international experiments
Tianwen-3 isn't just a solo effort: China is letting international partners send experiments along for the ride, with five global projects chosen so far (though details are still under wraps).
Meanwhile, NASA and the European Space Agency are working on a joint Mars Sample Return program but are running into some delays.
If all goes well, China could be the first to bring Mars samples home—potentially changing how we explore space and what we know about the Red Planet.