China to Build Planetary Protection Lab for Mars Sample Return Mission

Hefei (ANTARA) - China is advancing its mission to bring back samples from Mars and will build a planetary protection laboratory in the first phase of the Deep Space Science City project in Hefei, Anhui Province, eastern China, according to the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL), which will participate in the laboratory’s operation. The planetary protection laboratory will implement a two-way protection system to preserve the returned Martian samples while also protecting Earth’s biosphere. The laboratory’s tasks include sample sterilisation, seal opening, processing, and biological risk assessment. The facility is designed to support the execution of major deep space missions and enable scientific research on Martian samples. In April, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) released a roadmap for the implementation of the Tianwen-3 mission. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch around 2028, with sample collection and return to Earth expected to be completed around 2031. Li Hang, Director of the Development Planning Department at DSEL, stated that the laboratory will support scientific research findings from space samples. He also confirmed that China will comply with the planetary protection policies of the Committee on Space Research to prevent biological contamination of Mars by Earth organisms and to protect Earth from potential extraterrestrial life forms that may be carried in the samples. The new laboratory is part of China’s interplanetary exploration programme. In May 2021, China’s Zhurong rover landed in the southern region of Utopia Planitia on Mars. By May 2022, the rover had travelled 1,921 metres across the Martian surface and collected a wealth of scientific data.