China, Russia Plan Joint Mars Probe
March 28, 2007
China and Russia plan to jointly explore Mars and one of its moons with a Chinese micro-satellite aboard the Russian spacecraft Phobos Explorer.
The agreement was signed in Moscow in the presence of Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official People’s Daily reported.
The report said the Chinese micro-satellite and the Phobos Explorer will be launched atop a Russian rocket in 2009. After entering Mars’ orbit, the Chinese micro-satellite will detach from the Russian spacecraft and probe the planet’s environment.
The Phobos Explorer will land the Martian moon Phobos and return to Earth with soil samples, the report said.