China aims to bring back samples from Mars around 2031

(ECNS) -- China plans to launch the Tianwen-3 mission around 2028 and bring samples from Mars back to Earth around 2031, CCTV reported. If successful, it would be the first Mars sample return in human history.

China's space program has spent 70 years advancing deep-space exploration, from the moon to Mars, with missions such as Chang'e and Tianwen continually expanding the country's reach into space.

Sun Zezhou, a deep-space exploration expert, said Mars may initially seem far away, but it is relatively close compared with other planets in the solar system.

"The world is vast, and we always want to go out and see it for ourselves," he added.