3 spacecraft are set to reach Mars next month, from NASA, China, and the UAE. Here’s what they aim to learn.

3 spacecraft are set to reach Mars next month, from NASA, China, and the UAE. Here’s what they aim to learn.

Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. Account active since After six months of careening through space, three sets of robots finally have Mars in their sights. The missions “” from NASA, China, and the United Arab Emirates “” are set to reach the red planet next month, either falling into orbit around Mars or landing on its dusty red surface. Once there, they aim to search for signs of alien life, scan for underground reservoirs of water, and map the planet's changing seasons. The three space agencies' missions all launched in July 2020. Their timelines align because they are taking advantage of the same short window of time when Mars passes close to Earth in the planets' orbits around the sun. That significantly reduces the travel time and cost of anything launched toward Mars. As a result, Mars is about to welcome two