In every 26 months, Earth and Mars align in a way that allows spacecraft to launch towards the Red Planet more easily and economically. This alignment is set to occur again in the summer of 2020, with four nations planning to send missions to Mars.

Alongside NASA, China, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will each contribute vehicles to investigate the most Earth-like planet in our Solar System. These missions have distinct objectives and capabilities, representing a diverse range of scientific explorations ever sent to Mars.

Here's an overview of these missions.

NASA — Mars 2020

The Mars 2020 mission aims to deploy a helicopter on Mars for the first time, with a launch window potentially opening as early as July 17, 2020. Should this attempt succeed, it would signify the inaugural flight of any heavier-than-air vehicle in the Martian atmosphere.

With a budget of $2.46 billion, this mission will utilize a highly autonomous navigation system. An arm and turret mechanism will gather samples from the Martian surface.

“On Mars, the arm and turret will collaborate, allowing the rover to function like a human geologist: reaching out to intriguing geological features, scraping, analyzing, and even collecting them for further examination,” say NASA officials.

Future missions may return samples of Martian rock and soil to Earth.

The Mars 2020 mission will capture images of Mars and analyze its atmosphere. A drill will probe the Martian crust, looking for evidence of ancient life and any microbes that might still exist within Martian permafrost.

One of the most thrilling components of this mission is the 1.8-kilogram (four-pound) helicopter designed for flight in the Martian skies.

Landing will employ a method similar to that used in the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which successfully delivered the Curiosity rover to the Martian surface.

So far, more than eight million individuals have registered to have their names sent to Mars with the Mars 2020 mission.

European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia — ExoMars 2020

The ExoMars program, which stands for Exobiology on Mars, consists of several missions aimed at uncovering the history of potential life on the Red Planet. The ExoMars Rover and landing platform, set for a 2020 launch, is a collaborative project between the ESA and Russia, with an investment of $1.45 billion focused on detecting signs of past or present life on Mars.

The spacecraft will launch aboard a Russian Proton rocket and will enter Mars' atmosphere protected by an aeroshell. As it nears Mars, a descent vehicle will detach, utilizing parachutes, thrusters, and damping systems to ensure a smooth landing.

Once on the Martian surface, samples from the crust will be heated in one of 30 single-use ovens to temperatures up to 900 degrees Celsius (1650 Fahrenheit), with the resulting vapors analyzed by a gas chromatograph.

The stationary lander, developed by Roscosmos, will drill down to two meters (78 inches) beneath the surface, where signs of life may be preserved in ice deposits.

“Once collected, a sample will be sent to the rover’s analytical lab for mineralogical and chemical analyses, with a focus on identifying organic substances. The rover is expected to travel several kilometers during its mission,” explains the ESA.

Named after biologist Rosalind Franklin, who played a crucial role in understanding DNA structure, the rover will search the upper layers of Mars for signs of life while the lander investigates below.

“This name serves as a reminder that exploration is part of human nature. Science is in our DNA, and in all we do at ESA. The Rosalind rover embodies this spirit and advances our efforts in space exploration,” states ESA Director General Jan Woerner.

With a lander designed for subsurface exploration and a mobile laboratory dedicated to the search for life, the ExoMars 2020 mission promises unprecedented scientific discoveries on Mars.

China — Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover (HX-1)

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is gearing up for its inaugural flight to Mars. This ambitious project includes an orbiter, a lander, and a rover.

The orbiter's mission is to examine the Martian atmosphere and its magnetic field.

The HX-1 rover will explore Mars' surface for 90 days, searching for evidence of ancient or contemporary life, and its findings could inform future plans for terraforming Mars for human habitation.

CNSA has yet to finalize a landing site, though two potential locations are being considered. The first is Chryse Planitia, near where Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder landed. The second option is Isidis Planitia, close to the Viking 2 and Curiosity landing sites.

Recently, China became the first country to land a spacecraft, Chang’e-4, on the Moon's far side. They have also developed a Mars simulation environment on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in western China.

This mission will mark the first independent interplanetary endeavor for the most populous nation. The lander will host seven experiments, while the rover will conduct six.

In September 2018, CNSA executed a full-scale parachute test at supersonic speeds in preparation for the mission. The parachute deployment was successful, yielding valuable data from the flight launched on a Skyhawk 6 sounding rocket.

Personnel from the Chang’e-3 lunar mission are currently working on this Mars mission. Due to the differences in atmosphere and gravity, landing on Mars entails a distinct set of entry, descent, and landing (EDL) procedures compared to lunar missions.

“The EDL sequence involves significant risk. Numerous technologies must perform flawlessly for the first time: the aeroshell/heat shield, the aerodynamic decelerator (or parachutes), ground-relative position and velocity measurements, and the landing system. Achieving success in any one of these areas is a significant technical milestone; succeeding in all is necessary for a Mars landing,” states Mason Peck, associate professor at Cornell University and former NASA chief technologist.

United Arab Emirates — Hope Mars Mission

The Hope Mars mission aims to perform a comprehensive study of the Martian atmosphere. If successful, it will represent the first mission for the UAE and any Arab nation beyond Earth's orbit.

This Emirati orbiter is constructed from aluminum, featuring a lightweight honeycomb structure. The electronics are enclosed in a hexagonal composite casing. Measuring 2.9 meters (9.5 feet) long and 2.37 meters (7.8 feet) wide, the spacecraft weighs 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds), comparable to a small vehicle.

During launch, three 600-watt solar panels will be stowed against the spacecraft’s sides. Once in space, these panels will deploy and commence energy collection, generating enough power under optimal conditions to run 20 laptop computers.

“Hope will communicate with Mission Control on Earth using a high-gain antenna with a 1.5m [59”] wide dish, producing a focused radio-wave beam that must align with Earth for contact. It will also feature low-gain antennas for less directional communication,” explains the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

The spacecraft will utilize a sun tracker and star tracker sensors to navigate towards Mars. It is guided by Delta V thrusters for major maneuvers, reaction control systems for minor trajectory adjustments, and reaction wheels for precise targeting.

Upon arriving at Mars, data transfer speeds will diminish, making communications similar to those experienced with cell phones. Hope will need to autonomously navigate into orbit, as communications with Earth will be subject to time delays, requiring 13 to 20 minutes for signals to reach their destination.

Billions of years ago, Mars had a significantly thicker atmosphere than it does today, but the reasons for its depletion remain unclear. Currently, water exists on Mars only as ice below the surface and vapor in the atmosphere.

An ultraviolet spectrometer will enable Hope to detect gases such as oxygen and hydrogen in the Martian atmosphere, while an infrared spectrometer will analyze water vapor, ice, dust, and temperature patterns. Hope will also be equipped with a camera that can capture high-resolution images of the Martian surface.

Collectively, these instruments will investigate how different layers of the Martian atmosphere interact and how ancient climates have shaped current conditions.

The Hope Mars mission could provide insights into the disappearance of Mars' atmosphere and the potential for replenishment for future human habitation.

> "Mars is the next frontier, akin to what the Wild West was for America 500 years ago. It's time to venture forth. Mars is poised to be the focal point for exploration for the next millennium. Curiosity and exploration are intrinsic to human nature. If we cease to pursue these, we cease to be human." — Arthur C. Clarke

These missions planned for Mars in 2020 represent a historic moment in the exploration of the Red Planet.

Of the 45 missions dispatched to Mars, only 19 have succeeded, with NASA holding a notably superior success rate. We hope that each of these remarkable missions will yield new discoveries and questions about Mars.

The summer of 2020 promises excitement and anticipation as four global missions embark on their journey to Mars.