China’s Mars mission lifts off, aiming to join U.S. in landing on Red Planet

China on Thursday launched its first mission to attempt to land on Mars, as space exploration becomes a growing battleground in the U.S.-China rivalry.

The launch squeaks ahead of a planned U.S. mission to Mars next week, with both nations aiming to put rovers on the Red Planet. If both are successful, it will be China’s first rover to touch Martian soil and the first U.S. rover launch in nearly nine years.