China to launch a Mars spacecraft next year - scientists from the National Space Agency made it clear

Recently the CNN.co.jp reported the following:

中国、火星探査機を来年打ち上げへ　国家宇宙局の科学者が明言

2019.03.04 Mon posted at 11:44 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 中国は月の裏側へ送り込んだ探査機の着陸成功に続き、来年中に火星着陸を目指して探査機を打ち上げる。月探査プロジェクトの設計を指揮する国家宇宙局の呉偉仁（ウーウェイレン）氏が３日に明言した。

呉氏は北京で開催された人民政治協商会議（ＣＰＰＣＣ）の開幕に先立ち、「我々はこの６０年間で多くを達成したが、世界の宇宙大国にはまだはるかに遅れをとっている。ペースを上げる必要がある」と述べ、「来年には火星探査機を打ち上げ、軌道を周回させ、着陸させて探査する」と宣言した。

中国はさらに、月面に次の探査機を着陸させ、サンプルを地球に持ち帰らせるプロジェクトも計画している。

中国西部の青海省にはこのほど、火星の環境をモデルにした模擬火星基地が開設された。国営紙グローバル・タイムズによると、基地の総工費は約２５億円、敷地面積は５万３３３０平方メートル。カプセルに６０人、周囲のテント村に数百人を収容できる。

呉氏によると、１月初めに世界で初めて月の裏側に着陸した「嫦娥４号」の探査車「玉兎２号」は現在、着陸地点から北西へ向かっている。

月面の夜は１４日間続き、マイナス１９０度まで冷え込むことから、探査車は電子部品などを守るため、一時「冬眠モード」に入るよう設定されている。数日前には自動的に目覚め、正常に稼働を再開したという。

呉氏は「この数日間で多くのデータが得られた」と述べ、データは世界に公表するとの方針を示した。

Translation

2019.03.04 Mon posted at 11:44 JST

(CNN) Following the successful landing of a spacecraft to the back of the moon, China would launch a spacecraft aiming at a Mars landing next year. The National Space Agency director Wu Wei-ren (commander of the lunar exploration project) said on Thursday.

Prior to the opening of the People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in Beijing, Mr. Wu said "although we have achieved much in the past 60 years, we are still far behind the world's space powers. He said “we need to increase the pace”; and declared that “we will launch a Mars spacecraft next year,  it will go around the orbit and land to probe. "

China was also planning a project to land the next spacecraft on the moon and bring samples back to the earth.

The Qinghai province in the western part of China had recently opened a simulated Martian base modeling on the environment of Mars. According to the government’s Global Times (環球時報), the total construction cost of the base was about 2.5 billion yen, the site area was 53,330 square meters. It could accommodate 60 people in a capsule and hundreds more in the surrounding tent village.

According to Mr. Wu " Yù tù No. 2", the exploration car of " Cháng’é No. 4" which was the first in the world to land on the back side of the moon at the beginning of January, was now heading northwest from its landing point.

Since the night on the moon continued for 14 days and it could cool down to minus 190 degrees, the exploration car was set to enter a temporary "hibernation mode" so as to protect electronic components etc.  It woke up automatically a few days ago and resumed normal operations.

Mr. Wu said, "a lot of data were obtained in the past few days" and indicated a policy to open up the data to the world.

              It is interesting to note the China’s space projects seem not to have been affected by the tight economic situation now facing.