Probe of Mars set for 2020

Pang said Chinese engineers have used the Chang'e 2 lunar probe, which was launched in October 2010 and is still traveling farther into space, to test super-long-distance control and communication technologies.

"The biggest difficulty will be entering the Martian orbit and landing on Mars because of the tough environment on the planet," he said. "Moreover, no one has succeeded in accomplishing the orbiting of and landing on Mars in a single mission. The European Space Agency has tried several times, but all of its attempts failed."

Jia Yang, a researcher at the academy who led the development of China's first lunar rover, the Yutu, previously said that the Chinese Mars rover will have six wheels. It will be larger than the Yutu and better at dealing with obstacles, because Mars is full of large rocks.

Since the 1960s, more than 40 probes have been sent to Mars and only 19 accomplished their missions.

Currently, there are two US NASA rovers on the surface of Mars beaming signals back to Earth — Opportunity of the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and Curiosity of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

In November 2013, the Indian Space Research Organization launched its Mars Orbiter Mission. It was sent into Mars orbit in September 2014, making the Indian organization the fourth space explorer to reach the planet, after the Soviet space program, NASA and the European Space Agency.