Better designed Mars craft eyed

After successfully putting the "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover on the moon, Chinese space experts say the country's planned Mars vehicle will be larger, tougher and a better climber.

Yesterday, a real-sized model of the Mars rover was displayed at the Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai, giving a rare glimpse of the craft still being designed.

"Our current concept is that it will have six wheels, like Yutu (Jade Rabbit), but will be larger in size and better at crossing obstacles," said Jia Yang, who led the team that developed Yutu.

"Yutu can climb over obstacles no higher than 20 centimeters, but has to bypass larger rocks. This will not work on Mars, where places are full of large rocks like in the Gobi Desert. So we must improve its adaptability to complex territory," he said.

The 2-meter-long model on display is the prototype. Its final look and functions are yet to be decided.

China has not unveiled an official plan for a Mars probe, but Ouyang Ziyuan, a lead scientist in China's moon probe mission, has said it plans to land a Mars rover around 2020, collect samples and bring them back around 2030.

Jia expects the Mars buggy to be solar-powered, its weight close to NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers at about 180 kilograms. NASA's latest Curiosity rover weighs 900kg and is powered by nuclear battery, but Jia says the capability of China's carrier rockets limits the size of its Mars rover.

Yutu reported a mechanical malfunction during the second lunar day after its successful landing in December last year, prompting experts to stress the fault response on the Mars rover.

"We're working to overcome the worst scenario — dust storms that will significantly lower the energy output of the solar battery," Jia said.