China Tianwen-3 Mars Mission Is Open To International Cooperation

On 11 March 2025, China officially opened their upcoming Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission to the international space community for collaboration. This mission is due to launch in late 2028 and aims to land on Mars and return to Earth with samples from the Red Planet for research purposes.

China Opens Room For International Cooperation With Their Coming Tianwen-3 Mars Mission

The window for space collaboration with China is now open to the international community in preparation for the region’s 2028 Mars mission. This mission aims to answer the debate about the existence of life on Mars and whether it is hospitable for human life.

In an official release, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) extended the invitation for international collaboration. The administration states that the “opportunity is open to the global community.”

It went on to say that “International partners are welcome to collaborate with the TW-3 Mission at the system or payload level.”

All pitches from international space agencies are to be submitted to the CNSA by 30 June 2025 and selection will proceed in October 2025. China is providing up to 15kg of mass available on their Tianwen-3 spacecraft for the Tianwen-3 Mars mission Earth Return Orbiter (ERO).

For the mission’s Mars orbiter (MO) China is also providing 5kg of mass, both of which will be open to international partners. These weights will help to accommodate mission payloads from international partners.

The delivery of all payloads from international partners is to be done by 2027, ahead of the takeoff in 2028. Both private and governmental space agencies in the international field are welcome to collaborate on this mission.

Details On The China Tianwen-3 Mars Mission

As the space race intensifies on a global scale, we see various regions working hard to study Mars and other solar bodies more closely. The China Tianwen-3 Mars mission is one such mission that aims to study a solar body on a closer level.

Currently, both NASA and CNSA have rovers on Mars studying the planet’s landscape and topology. With this coming mission, China aims to bring back sample particles from Mars with the aim of studying them here on Earth.

NASA’s Mars sample return mission is currently facing some delays, putting China ahead of them on the launch schedule. For this mission China will rely on two Long March 5 rockets with one carrying a lander and an ascent vehicle, and the other carrying a Mars orbiter and Earth return orbiter.

Following the launch, which will be in 2028, the return will be in 2030 or 2031. More details on this mission as well as the international partners to collaborate with the CNSA will be available in the coming months.