China’s rover might not have a name, but the mission does. It’s called Tianwen-1, which is inspired by a classical Chinese poem called Heavenly Questions. The mission includes a lander, rover and an orbiter, with the goal of completing all three tasks in a single mission. Landing will be the most difficult part. But China does plan to eventually name the rover. It’s now soliciting ideas for the name globally, allowing people to submit their suggestions on the Baidu app before August 12.

Nasa is using Perseverance to seek signs of ancient life, gather rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in a future Mars mission, and test technology for future exploration of the planet. Its mission on Mars will last at least one Martian year, which is 687 days on Earth.

China’s rover has a much shorter mission. It’s designed to operate on the planet for three Martian months, or roughly 92 Earth days. Mission team members say that if landed, the rover will map the geological structure of Mars, investigate the surface soil and water-ice distribution, and measure the Martian climate, among other things.

Weighing 240 kilograms (529 pounds), China’s 1.8-meter-tall (5.9 feet) rover is much smaller than Nasa’s 2.2-meter-tall (7.2 feet) Perseverance rover, which weighs 1,025 kilograms (2,260 pounds). Based on the successful design of Nasa’s previous Mars rover, 2011’s Curiosity, Perseverance is equipped with more parts than China’s.

Perseverance has a robotic arm that helps it extract samples from Mars’ surface and a range of cameras. Nasa also added two microphones for the first time. China’s rover appears to be less complex, with six instruments that include two cameras and no microphones.

Both rovers have six wheels, but the lighter Chinese rover is faster, boasting a speed of 200 meters per hour (0.12 miles per hour). Perseverance moves at 152 meters per hour (0.09 miles per hour). Nasa admits that this is slow by Earth’s standards, but it calls the rover a “standout performer” on Mars.

China’s Mars rover is solar-powered, with four wing-like solar panels on the top of the vehicle. While Nasa also used solar panels in past Mars missions, the agency found problems with it. One issue is the planet’s dust storms, which can cover the panels and prevent the rover from getting enough solar energy needed for the mission. So Nasa gave its rovers an upgrade.

Perseverance uses a radioisotope power system called Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). In other words, it’s a nuclear-powered rover. Curiosity is also powered by an MMRTG, which can last 14 years. Nasa says this gives the rover greater mobility over a range of latitudes and altitudes, allowing engineers to more flexibly operate it.

Perseverance is also carrying something else: a tiny four-pound helicopter called Ingenuity. It’s a test to see if powered flight is a viable option in the thin Martian atmosphere. If Ingenuity works, it could herald the next step in humanity’s quest to understand the Red Planet.