# China's Tianwen-3 advances as NASA's Mars Sample Return is cancelled
> With US funding cut in January, China could be first to return Martian samples, by 2031

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-25 · heads: 长远之局, 谁说了算 · 7 takes · 4 lenses · 5 regions

## Summary

The Mars sample-return race has flipped. [NASA's](/zh/entity/nasa) [Mars Sample Return](/zh/entity/mars), over a
decade in development, with projected costs above $11B, was effectively cancelled when Congress
declined to fund it in the January 2026 appropriations. Meanwhile [China's](/zh/entity/china)
[Tianwen-3](/zh/entity/mars-china) has moved into the flight-model/construction phase, on track to launch in
2028, drill ~2 m, collect ≥500 g of Martian material and return it by 2031. China has made the
mission unusually open, reserving 20 kg for international instruments, selecting five
international cooperation projects in April 2026, and pledging sample access. If schedules hold,
China would become the first nation to return material from another planet, potentially years
before any revived US or [Western](/zh/n/artemis-3-post-flyby-2026) effort, a symbolic shift in
planetary-exploration leadership.

## By the numbers

- 2028 → 2031, Tianwen-3 launch to sample return.
- ≥500 g, Martian material targeted, drilled to ~2 m depth.
- 20 kg, payload mass reserved for international instruments.
- $11B+, projected NASA MSR cost before Congress cut its funding.

## Why it matters

Returning Martian samples, possibly containing biosignatures the Perseverance rover already
cached, is a marquee scientific and prestige prize. The US ceding it mid-stream while China
advances marks a turn in the [broader space competition](/zh/n/china-lunar-change7-2026), and reframes
who sets the agenda in deep-space exploration.

## What to watch

- Tianwen-3 flight-model completion and 2028 launch readiness.
- Any US move to revive a cheaper sample-return architecture.
- Which Western scientists accept seats on China's mission.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **China State Council (gov.cn)** (China, zh) — Chinese government account of the Tianwen-3 plan as detailed by its chief scientist, 2028 launch, drilling and surface sampling, return by 2031, and the 20 kg reserved for international instruments.
  Source: https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202507/23/content_WS68803af3c6d0868f4e8f45d3.html
- **Universe Today** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-mars-sample-return-is-dead-paving-the-way-for-china
- **Space.com** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/winning-the-red-planet-race-returning-mars-samples-before-china-should-be-a-top-us-priority-experts-say
- **Wikipedia (Tianwen-3)** (Global, en) — 
  Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianwen-3

### US space-trade
- **SpaceNews** (United States, en) — Reports Tianwen-3 advancing into the flight-model/construction phase in 2026, with five international cooperation projects selected, the concrete progress milestone against NASA's stalled effort.
  > "Tianwen-3 has moved into spacecraft construction, with five international cooperation projects selected for the mission."
  Source: https://spacenews.com/chinas-tianwen-3-mars-sample-return-mission-moves-into-spacecraft-construction-phase/

### UK science press
- **Live Science** (United Kingdom, en) — Reports NASA's Mars Sample Return effectively dead after Congress declined to fund it in the January 2026 appropriations, leaving China positioned to return the first Martian material, possibly including biosignature samples, first.
  > "NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead after Congress declined funding, leaving China to chase signs of life on Mars first."
  Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/nasas-mars-sample-return-is-dead-leaving-china-to-retrieve-signs-of-life-from-the-red-planet

### Hong Kong / China-facing
- **South China Morning Post** (Hong Kong, en) — Frames the US MSR cancellation as potentially handing Mars leadership to China, the China-facing read on a symbolic shift in the planetary-exploration balance.
  > "Pulling NASA out of the Mars sample race risks handing planetary-exploration leadership to China, this analysis argues."
  Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3306742/will-us-hand-space-leadership-china-pulling-nasa-out-mars-race

## Across the graph
- Related: [[china-lunar-change7-2026]], [[artemis-3-post-flyby-2026]], [[china-launch-cadence-140-2026]]
- Entities: Mars, Mars China, China, Nasa, Cnsa

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Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/zh/n/tianwen3-mars-sample-return-2026