China to launch spacecraft for Mars exploration in 2020, rover is ready

China is scheduled to carry out the country's first-ever Mars probe mission in 2020, said Ouyang Ziyuan, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences at a forum in Shandong Province which is held from July 5 to 7.

Aerial photos of the so-called "Mars Camp" in Gansu Province, May 3, 2019. [File photo: VCG]

Ouyang said a satellite will be sent into orbit near Mars first, and then the Mars probe consisting of the lander and rover will be landed on the surface of the planet. The control center on the earth will work together with them to explore the uncharted territory on Mars.

The Mars rover for the mission has been completed, he added.

Ouyang Ziyuan, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, speaks at a scientific forum in the city of Rizhao, Shandong Province. [Photo: wechat]

The primary task of the Mars mission is to acquire information on the Mars' environment for scientific research and find out whether life existed on the mystery planet. The mission will also look into the possibility of establishing a human base on the planet, said Ouyang.

Ouyang says the success rate for the launch of Mars missions stands at 40 percent with only 18 successful launches out of 45 attempts in human history.