CHINA’S Tianwen 3 unmanned mission to Mars is set to carry an array of science payloads, including five built by scientists from Hong Kong, Macao, and foreign institutes, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

At a ceremony in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on Friday marking China’s 11th Space Day, the administration announced that the five cooperative projects boast great scientific value, strong support for the Tianwen 3 mission, good achievability, and high technological readiness.

According to the CNSA, Tianwen-3’s Earth-return module will include three key instruments: the Mars PEX Spectrometer, led under the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Panel on Exploration, designed to search for signs of life on Mars and to determine the composition of surface minerals; the Mars Molecular Ion Composition Analyzer, developed by Macao University of Science and Technology, which will monitor how the Martian atmosphere escapes into space; and the Laser Heterodyne Spectrometer, developed by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, which will measure the vertical distribution of water isotopes in the Martian atmosphere and observe Martian wind fields.

The service orbiter will carry the Mars Terrestrial Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrometer, developed by The University of Hong Kong, to support detection of signs of life, identification of water-bearing minerals, and broader resource surveys on Mars.

The lander will deploy a Tianwen Laser Retroreflector Array-3, developed by Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics — National Laboratory of Frascati, providing precise reference points on the Martian surface.

In April 2025, the CNSA released an announcement seeking cooperation opportunities for the Tianwen-3 mission, offering 20 kilograms of payload capacity. A total of 28 proposals were received.

The CNSA said the Tianwen-3 spacecraft will comprise five components — a lander, an ascender, a service capsule, an orbiter and a reentry module — and is expected to launch around 2028 aboard two Long March 5 heavy-lift rockets from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province.(SD-Agencies)