China is preparing for its first-ever delivery of Martian soil samples to Earth. Before that, the country will build a special laboratory where materials from the Red Planet will be checked for possible biological threats. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Xinhua.
The laboratory will be located in the Deep Space Science City in Hefei. It will operate on the principle of "two-way protection": it will prevent contamination of Martian samples with terrestrial microorganisms and eliminate possible risks to Earth's biosphere.
The complex will sterilize, open, and study the delivered soil, as well as assess its biological safety.
The launch of the Tianwen-3 mission is planned for approximately 2028, with sample return to Earth expected by 2031.
According to Li Han, director of the strategic planning department at the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, China intends to strictly adhere to international planetary protection standards to avoid both contamination of Mars with terrestrial organisms and potential threats to Earth.
The new program continues research started by the Zhurong rover, which successfully landed on Mars in 2021. During a year of operation, the rover traveled nearly two kilometers and collected valuable scientific data that will help prepare the mission to deliver Martian soil.
Earlier, Kursiv reported on how the successful launch of the Artemis-2 lunar mission is preparing for human landing on Mars.