---
title: "China Is Now Assembling Its 2020 Mars Rover"
description: "The director of China's space agency told the press that scientists are currently attaching scientific instruments to its Mars rover."
date: "2019-05-30"
modified: "2019-05-30"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-2020-rover"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "china"
  - "mars"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# China Is Now Assembling Its 2020 Mars Rover

![The director of China's space agency told the press that scientists are currently attaching scientific instruments to its Mars rover.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/china-2020-rover1.png>)
*\<em\>Image: CSNA/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Mars Rover

Chinese space scientists are currently outfitting their Mars Rover with scientific instruments in [preparation for a launch](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-planning-mission-deep-space>) next year.

The "Mars 2020 mission spacecraft is undergoing integration," Wang Chi, director of China's National Space Science Center, [told *Space News*](<https://spacenews.com/chinas-first-mars-spacecraft-undergoing-integration-for-2020-launch/>).

In this case, integration means attaching 13 separate scientific instruments to the Mars rover and orbiter, both of which are designed to study the Red Planet's atmosphere and geologic composition.

## Touching Down

China's space agency is working to become the second to successfully land a spacecraft on Mars, according to *Space News*, after several [failed attempts](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-rocket-fails>) by Russia and Europe.

If the NSSC scientists stay on schedule, the rover-orbiter duo will launch in the middle of 2020, starting the seven-month countdown to see whether the landing will succeed.

**READ MORE:** [China’s first Mars spacecraft undergoing integration for 2020 launch](<https://spacenews.com/chinas-first-mars-spacecraft-undergoing-integration-for-2020-launch/>) \[*Space News*\]

**More on space:** *[China Is Building a Solar Power Station in Space](<https://futurism.com/china-solar-power-station-space>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)