Race to Mars: China prepares launch of its first probe to explore the Red Planet

The United States will also send the Perseverance rover to the Red Planet soon. Since it started to be developed, the vehicle has won legs and wheels, a helicopter braoatum. After training the moves for the future exploration trip, the robotic vehicle passed its first driving test at the Jet Propulsion Lab Laboratory in Passadena, California and, more recently, has already learned to stay balanced.

In February, NASA unveiled its action plan to bring samples of Mars to Earth. The historic endeavor to rely on the partnership of the European Space Agency to begin with the launch of the Perseverance rover.

Thanks to a drill at the end of the robotic arm, the vehicle will drill through the Martian soil and obtain samples that will be stored in tubes inside. After collecting them, the rover will place them on the surface for collection.

This is where the lander comes in, who, through the Sample Fetch Rover and Transfer Arm, will transfer the samples to a rocket and to the Mars Ascent Vehicle, used to transport them from the planet to space. The final phase will take place in 2026, when an Orbiter will be launched towards Mars. Upon reaching the Red Planet, receive the cargo of samples and project it towards Earth, where it is expected to arrive in 2031.

The United Arab Emirates probe, called Amal ("Esperana", in Arabic), is an orbital spacecraft, built in partnership with the University of Colorado, in the United States, and whose launch is scheduled for next Monday, from from Japan. This is the first interplanetary mission by an Arab country.

Scientists want to understand what Mars was like billions of years ago, when there were sources of water that may have supported small forms of life, before becoming the frozen world that it is today.

To date, the United States has been the only country to successfully place a probe on Mars eight times. Two probes sent by NASA are operating on the planet. Six other spaceships are exploring Mars from their orbit: three from the USA, two from Europe and one from India.