China’s 2028 Mars mission could be a new ‘Sputnik moment’, says former NASA expert

China is on the trajectory of marking a new milestone in its Mars mission, ushering in the new Sputnik moment.

According to the China National Space Administration, the Tianwen 3 mission will unlock the success in returning Mars samples. The mission in question aims to bring back to Earth roughly 500 grams of Red Planet collectibles in 2031.

The Tianwen 3 mission will consist of a lander, a service capsule, an ascender, an orbiter and an Earth reentry module. If all goes according to the plan, the mission will launch in 2028 onboarding two Long March 5 heavy-lift rockets from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the island of Hainan.

Hou Zengqian, the mission's chief scientist, shed light on the smooth progress of the mission and robust efforts are being made to overcome technical challenges.

Speaking about the equipment, Zengqian explained that they have entered the prototype development phase.

"If accurate, this represents a Sputnik moment," said former NASA "Mars Czar" Scott Hubbard, referring to the reported Tianwen 3 progress.

"China will not only grab the headlines but may be the first to find evidence of life on another planet," Hubbard added.

When it comes to the Mars mission, NASA, the US-based space agency, has made significant strides. However, the agency’s plans to bring Mars samples to Earth are uncertain. That’s why China seems to be in the lead to unlock this major space milestone.

The primary scientific goal of the Tianwen 3 mission is to search for potential signs of life on Mars.

The mission will specifically search for microbial traces similar to early Earth life, while remaining open to discovering unknown forms of life shaped by Mars' unique evolutionary history.