Tianwen Mars Program
China's Mars exploration program. Tianwen-1 arrived at Mars in Feb 2021, deploying the Zhurong rover in Utopia Planitia — making China the second country to operate a rover on Mars. Zhurong traveled 1.9 km over 347 sols before entering hibernation in May 2022 due to dust accumulation; contact has not been re-established. Tianwen-2 (asteroid sample return) is a separate but related deep space mission. Tianwen-3 is China's planned Mars sample return mission targeting 2028–2030, which could return Martian soil to Earth before NASA's MSR.
Budget
Estimated $1B+ (Tianwen-1); additional funding for Tianwen-3 sample return
Timeline
2020–2030s
Key Milestones
Tianwen-1 launched on Long March 5 — orbiter, lander, and Zhurong rover
2020 — Jul
Tianwen-1 entered Mars orbit
2021 — Feb
Zhurong rover landed in Utopia Planitia — China's first Mars surface mission
2021 — May
Zhurong entered hibernation due to dust; 1.9 km traveled, 347 sols active
2022 — May
Tianwen-3 — Mars sample return mission launch (planned, 2-launch architecture)
2028
Tianwen-3 sample capsule return to Earth (planned)
2031
Contractors
Sources
- cnsa.gov.cn
- spacenews.com
- planetary.org