How China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission compares with Nasa’s Perseverance rover

The missions from China and the US are the only ones with rovers that will land on Mars. (The UAE’s Hope mission only sent an orbiter that will monitor the planet from space.) This is also China’s first Mars mission, and it differs greatly from what the US sent up. Here’s a look at how they compare.

Unlike China, Nasa’s rover already has a name: Perseverence. The name was unveiled in March, when it was announced that a middle school student had won a competition to name the Mars 2020 rover.

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.