Foreign proposals invited for Mars mission payload

China has begun soliciting cooperation proposals for its ambitious Mars sample-return mission, Tianwen 3, the China National Space Administration said on Thursday.

At a ceremony in Shanghai marking the country's 10th Space Day, the agency announced it would offer opportunities for foreign researchers to place scientific instruments aboard the Tianwen 3 robotic probe.

According to the latest information published by the administration, the Tianwen 3 mission will include five components — a lander, an ascender, a service capsule, an orbiter and a reentry module. The mission is scheduled to launch around 2028 using two Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rockets from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern Hainan province.