China's space agency has released the first detailed look at three technological components for its unmanned Mars mission, which is aimed to take off in 2020.

Renderings showing the orbiter, lander, and rover were revealed to the public on Tuesday, four months after the Mars mission was announced, according to South China Morning Post citing China National Radio.

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The mission is aimed at studying the soil, environment, atmosphere, and checking for the presence of water and ice on Mars, chief designer Zhang Rongqiao said.

While China has been ramping up to become a superpower in space exploration, Zhang admitted that the Mars mission poses "greater difficulties and sophistication."

Challenges for the Mars mission include getting enough solar power for the rover because of heavy atmospheric contamination with gasses that prohibit efficient absorption of sunlight; and solving technical challenges of atmospheric entry, landing, and long-distance communication.

The launch is expected to take off in 2020 and to reach Mars in 2021.

Meanwhile, China has also revealed its plan to launch a permanently manned radar station on the moon. The proposed station would be used to monitor extreme weather conditions, earthquakes, crop production, and polar ice caps.

China recently also launched the world's first quantum-enabled satellite named Micius from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The 600-kilogram satellite was aboard a Long March-2D and blasted off into space at 1:40 a.m. on August 16, 2016. Officially dubbed as the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), the project is aimed at testing a technology that would make digital communication hack-proof. 

TagsMars mission, Mars, spacecraft, china, space exploration