Russia, China aim for Red Planet

source

China will launch a joint mission with Russia to Mars, a "milestone" in space co-operation between the two countries.
The agreement was signed during a three-day visit to Russia by China's president Hu Jintao.

The move follows pledges by Moscow to work more closely with the Chinese on missions to Mars and the Moon.

A small satellite developed by China will piggyback on the Russian launch of a spacecraft called "Phobos Grunt", probably in October 2009.

In a statement, the China National Space Administration said the agreement "indicates the two sides have taken a key step forward to working together on a large space programme."

After entering orbit around the Red Planet, the Chinese micro-satellite will detach from the Russian spacecraft, and probe the Martian space environment, according to the statement.

The Russian spacecraft will touch down on the Martian moon Phobos and collect soil samples for return to Earth.

There was no mention of a timetable in the Chinese space agency statement. But earlier Russian reports said the launch window for the 10-11 month voyage to Phobos, Mars' largest moon, will be in October 2009.

with chinas building space program and russias already decent space program things look bright for the two neigbours
since they seem to be signing alot of deals these days