Russian Institute to Build Infrared Spectrometer for China's Tianwen-3 Mars Mission

Russia's Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences will build an infrared spectrometer for China's Tianwen-3 Mars station to study the Martian atmosphere and climate, the institute's press service told RIA Novosti.

Under a memorandum signed by Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the ACAE (Atmospheric Climate And Escape) instrument will be created and integrated into the automatic interplanetary station for the Tianwen-3 Mars mission.

The device continues IKI's line of infrared spectrometers; a suite of IR spectrometers is currently operating successfully aboard the ExoMars-2016 mission's TGO spacecraft. The institute said a successful project would extend and build on more than a decade of Mars atmosphere and climate research, though timelines are very tight given how close the launch is.

The main goal of Tianwen-3 is to return samples of Martian soil to Earth. In 2023, the Russian Academy of Sciences and CNSA signed a memorandum on cooperation in studying extraterrestrial material; samples have already been exchanged and research is underway on lunar soil delivered by the Chang'e-5, Luna-16 and Chang'e-6 stations.

Source: RIA Novosti