China intends to send a crewed mission to Mars by 2033, setting a clear timeline in Beijing’s ambitious effort to take on Washington as a superpower in space.
Beijing wants to send astronauts to the red planet over five missions running from 2033 to 2043, Wang Xiaojun, head of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, one of the country’s state-run aerospace companies, said in remarks published by Chinese state media.
Wang told the Global Space Exploration Conference that China would first have to return soil samples from Mars and conduct a number of other robotic missions before sending astronauts or building a research base on the planet.