In 2031, China plans to bring the first rock samples from Mars to Earth, two years before NASA plans to accomplish the feat.

Earlier this week, Sun Zezhou, the chief designer of China's current Mars orbiter and rover mission, outlined the ambitious Tianwen-3 sample return mission, according to SpaceNews.

China plans to launch a spacecraft to Mars late in 2028 in a mission that will end with the delivery of Mars rock samples to Earth in July 2031 in order to collect and deliver rock samples from Mars.

The tighter timeline can be attributed to the simplicity of China's proposed mission, which, unlike NASA's more complex plan, would only involve a single landing on Mars and a straightforward sample collection process.

Last year, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) demonstrated that it possessed the technology to reach Mars and deploy a rover there.

The return of samples to Earth requires several additional steps, including blasting the material back into space in an ascent Upon return to Earth, the capsule containing the samples is released from the transfer vehicle and dropped on the ground.

The CNSA and NASA missions are highly complex and involve a vast amount of research and testing, and both space agencies are well aware that something could go wrong at any time.

Yet the rewards of successfully delivering samples to Earth would be enormous for scientists. Advanced laboratory equipment can be used to study Mars material in order to determine whether any form of life ever existed on the Red Planet. A discovery of this kind might help scientists unlock some of the mysteries of life on Earth.

The Chinese government has been pumping huge sums of money into its growing space program, which besides Mars and lunar missions includes the recent commissioning of a space station in low Earth orbit.

In response, the nation's president, Xi Jinping, said the new space station will open 'new horizons' as humans seek to understand the cosmos.