How a Chinese spacecraft will catch Mars rock samples for journey to Earth
China is another step closer to bringing the first pieces of the red planet back to Earth with the development of a lightweight device to capture Martian rock samples in orbit.
Weighing just 12kg (26 1/2 lbs), the module is mounted on a spacecraft, and is designed to catch a sample container roughly the size of a large coffee can, according to researchers from the Institute of Aerospace System Engineering in Shanghai.
Rocks are first collected in the container from Mars' surface, before being ejected into orbit by an ascent vehicle. The device traps and secures the container, then transfers it into a storage vessel.
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This storage vessel later detaches from the spacecraft for the return journey back to Earth, the researchers wrote in the journal China Space Science and Technology last month.
A prototype of the device has been tested to show that it can reliably capture and align the sample container, adapting to different entry angles and positions, and transfer it seamlessly into the storage vessel, according to the researchers.
"Due to the limited power available for taking off from the Martian surface, the platform carrying the samples into orbit has a restricted mass capacity, which prevents the use of traditional docking and transfer mechanisms," the researchers wrote.
They added that compared to earlier proposals, the Chinese design was both more integrated and significantly lighter, "offering advantages over similar Western systems".
In September, senior Chinese space officials announced that the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission remained on track for a 2028 launch, with the goal of retrieving around 600 grams (21 ounces) of Martian soil by 2031 from the planet's Utopia Planitia region, or other candidate sites.
While the US also has plans for a Mars sample return mission in the 2030s, Nasa is reviewing designs by space companies after the initial proposal proved to be too expensive and time-consuming.
The US and China remain the only countries to have successfully soft-landed on Mars.
China is also the only nation that has retrieved rocks from the moon in recent years. But launching from Mars is much more challenging than from the moon, given the stronger gravitational pull and atmospheric conditions.
These challenges required scientists to develop a novel mechanism to catch the Mars sample container once it enters orbit.
In the study, the Chinese team described a "capture-then-contact" method: on detecting the incoming container, the device's four sectors will operate like four flexible "arms" that come together to form a secure capture space around it.
Once the container fully enters this capture space, a cover will quickly close to make sure the container does not drift away.
Then, small conveyor belts on each sector will work together to apply friction to steady, orient and guide the container into the storage vessel.
Tests were conducted on the prototype's capture function, and results showed that the cover completed closure within 1.5 seconds, the researchers reported.
The motor-driven conveyor belts successfully guided the container into the storage vessel, with laser sensors confirming that it was securely and precisely in the designated place, they noted.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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