12 years may be a significant amount of time on the scale of human life, but it is a tiny amount of time in human history. In this time period, humanity will set foot on Mars to get to know the neighboring planet better. The one that will do this will be China, whose goals and ambitions in this area are growing rapidly. The news was announced during a press conference in Russia by Wang Xiaojun, President of the China Academy of Carrier Missile Technology.
China will implement a program of five missions that will span between 2033 and 2043. However, Wang stated that within the framework of this program, samples from the soil of the planet will be brought and analyzed before sending humans to Mars, a series of tests will be carried out through robots, and in particular, a place on the planet will be determined that will be used as a permanent base in the future.
These statements, of course, are only proud promises in the space rivalry between China and the USA, and they are not devoid of economic and technological basis. The extraordinary progress China has made in space exploration in recent years makes Wang's words and the program in question credible. Indeed, China is a country that has landed a rover on the surface of Mars in the spring of 2021. Also in mid-June this year, he sent three taikonauts to the main module of the space station Tiangong, hovering above our heads.
China's momentum in this area has led it to see Russia as an outstanding ally in a competitive environment with the United States. Faced with difficulties in recent years in the context of its own space program, Russia has decided to add its strength to Beijing in the perspective of new discoveries. Therefore, at this stage, the space race begins to have meanings beyond just being a source of scientific and technological progress.
Source: China International Radio
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