Having successfully sent unmanned missions to the Moon and Mars, China has now set its sights on more distant objects in the Solar System.
According to Space.com, Beijing seeks to send two probes into space around 2030, with their destinations being Jupiter and Uranus, respectively.
Both probes are expected to be launched into space on the same Long March 5 rocket under the auspices of the Tianwen-4 mission whose details were revealed at the International Astronautical Congress in Paris by Wang Qiong from the China National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center.
The larger of the two spacecraft is supposed to investigate the Jupiter system and is expected to enter orbit around one of the planet’s moons, Callisto.
Meanwhile, the smaller spacecraft would travel further towards the outer reaches of our Solar System, its ultimate goal being Uranus.
Wang, however, did tell the media that "the scientific goals are still under consideration."