This includes looking at the available launch times, the types of orbits the spacecraft can use to get to Mars and the propulsion system best suited to allow short- and long-term stays and regular, repeated visits.
Early human missions would use a number of heavy-lift launchers to construct the Mars spacecraft in orbit, Wang said.
Cargo would fly to and land on Mars separately, and a Mars descent and ascent vehicle (MDAV) would transfer astronauts to and from the surface, he added.
Nuclear fusion propulsion and space elevator technology were also considered but require both theoretical and technological breakthroughs. !No timeline for embarking on crewed Mars missions was mentioned.China is currently aiming for crewed missions to the moon in the 2030s, so crewed Mars missions will be much further off
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