Ranking up the headlines once again are the two wealthiest nations of the worldthe United States and China. For the past few decades, these two countries have competed on every front. And now, even in space, they have started to chase each other to explore unexplored. In the 21st century, the space race has accelerated again and several countries are eager to showcase their technological prowess.

July 2020 has come as a flag-off and both China and the US are launching lander missions to Mars within a span of one week. Over the next seven months, the orbits of Mars and Earth will be closest to each other and this period is the most optimal time for the journey. In fact, the distance between the two planets will drop to 62 million kilometres in October 2020, which is half the average distance of 104 million km.

Mars is regarded as the most suitable contender to host humans in future. Therefore, nations are leaving no stone unturned to decipher the mysteries of the red planet and enabling future human settlements. Even the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its first interplanetary mission to Mars last week. So, as both the US and China race towards the red planet, here is how the two heavyweights stack up to each other.

On Thursday, July 23, Chinas space agency blasted off its maiden mission to Marsa week before NASA's most anticipated Perseverance rover launch on July 30. Its the first independent mission of China to reach the soil of another planet in our solar system, after its first orbiter mission to Mars, Yinghuo-1, but failed to leave Earths orbit in November 2011. Therefore, if the mission is successful, it can put China into the league of elite space nations.

While it is the first lander and rover Mars mission for the National Space Administration of China, its counterpart National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has landed five times on the Red Planet, and is gearing up for a sixth. NASAs last mission to Mars, InSight, is about to celebrate its second year anniversary and is regarded to be one of the most successful missions that continue to study the deep interiors of the planet Mars.

The Chinese space agency has designated several scientific goals for the Tianwen-1 mission. The main objective of the rover is to detect the presence of water, and ice on the planet. Moreover, it will also investigate the soil properties, create a geological map, examine the atmosphere, and collect samples of soil and rocks for further studies.

In February 2021, NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (shown in an artist's concept) will be the agency's two newest explorers on Mars.

The NASA mission, on the other hand, aims to find clues about the possibility of ancient life on Mars. The space agency has set four scientific goals for rover and helicopterstudying Mars' habitability, seeking signs of past microbial life, collecting samples, and preparing for future human missions.

In its second attempt at reaching Mars, China has sent an orbiter, rover, and a lander onboard the powerful rocket Long March 5. Reportedly, Tianwen-1s orbiter is equipped with seven instruments, while the rover contains six instruments including two cameras, radar, and three detectors.

NASAs mission will have a rover and a helicopter for the first time. NASAs rover is also set to carry about seven payloads. In each case, the scientific payloads will acquire information on the Martian atmosphere, geology, environmental conditions, and signatures of life.

The Chinese lander is set to touch down at Utopia Planitia, which is a large plain area within the largest-recognized asteroid impact basin on the Solar System, Utopia. The estimated diameter of this giant crater is a whopping 3,300 km, which is 11 times the largest-known crater on Earth, Vredefort Dome (300 km).

Jezero a 49-km-wide crater near the Mars Equator is the carefully selected landing spot for the US mission, Perseverance. While Utopia Planitia lies 46.7 north to the equator, Jezero is 18.4 North. The Jezero crater was formed billions of years ago and was filled with water for millions of years. As the Martian climate changed, all surface water disappeared from the planet, but an ancient lake proves to be an ideal spot to determine if life ever existed on the red planet, says NASA.

The mission duration for Perseverance and Tianwen-1 is said to be at least one Mars yearequivalent to 687 Earth days. The prime mission duration of NASA's Perseverance is said to be 1.5 Mars yearsequivalent to nearly three Earth years. While the US has spent a whopping $2.1 billion on Perseverance, China has remained tight-lipped about the cost of Tianwen-1 so far.

Both Perseverance and Tianwen-1 will collect samples of rocks and soil which will be sent back to Earth for further analysis. Travel time for both the spacecraft also remains roughly the sameseven months and therefore, could reach Mars somewhere around February. Whichever mission succeeds in revealing more scientific data, the dual missions will be a milestone for humanity in space exploration.

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A 'Suitable' Planet: Mars Turns Battlefront for New-Age Space Race Between the US and China - The Weather Channel