Mars and deep space exploration are undergoing a period of unprecedented activity, driven by an expanding fleet of spacecraft, the advance of sample-return missions, and new voyages to the outer Solar System. Central to this effort is China’s Tianwen programme, which has progressed from the Tianwen-1 Mars mission to a long-term, multi-target architecture: Tianwen-2 (launched May 2025) is en route to asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa for sample return and will later visit comet 311P/PANSTARRS; Tianwen-3 has entered implementation for Mars sample return in the late‑2020s; and Tianwen-4, planned for around 2030, will send two spacecraft to the Jupiter system and Uranus.
On Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover continues caching samples in Jezero Crater, and the Ingenuity helicopter has proven aerial mobility on another planet. Following a major architecture review, NASA and ESA are finalising a restructured Mars Sample Return campaign (industrial partners announced in 2025–2026). ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, with its deep-drilling and biosignature payload, is targeting a 2028 launch. China’s “Tianwen-1” orbiter still provides high-resolution imagery, radar soundings, and atmospheric data, while the UAE’s Hope orbiter and India’s planned Mangalyaan‑2 further broaden Mars exploration.
In deep space, laboratory analyses of samples from JAXA’s Hayabusa2 and NASA’s OSIRIS-REx are reshaping views of volatile delivery and prebiotic chemistry. NASA’s Europa Clipper (launched October 2024) is en route to assess Europa’s subsurface ocean, and ESA’s JUICE (gravity assist in August 2024) is performing cruise science toward Jupiter and Ganymede. Meanwhile, the lunar south pole is becoming a testbed for deep-space technologies, with Chang’E‑7 set for late 2026 and the Artemis campaign advancing in‑situ resource utilisation and autonomy.
These combined efforts are generating a wealth of insights that call for cross-disciplinary synthesis. This Thematic Issue aims to capture the most significant advances across Mars and deep space exploration—from mission concepts and instrumentation to data analysis and comparative planetology—and to serve as a platform for the global community to share results, ideas, and forward-looking perspectives.
Topics of Interest
This Thematic Issue welcomes contributions on, but not limited to, the following themes:
l Geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of Mars and ocean worlds
l Atmospheric dynamics, climate evolution, and surface–atmosphere interactions
l Biosignature detection, habitability assessment, and planetary protection
l Mission concepts, instrumentation, and autonomous exploration technologies
l Sample return curation, contamination control, and preliminary examination
l Small-body science: asteroids, comets, and Kuiper Belt objects
l Interior structure, geophysics, and magnetic field evolution
l Data fusion, machine learning, and open-science approaches in planetary missions
l Comparative planetology linking Mars, icy moons, Venus, and exoplanets
Manuscript Categories
Planet accepts the following article types for this Thematic Issue:
l Original Research Articles – new data, models, or mission results
l Review Articles – comprehensive syntheses of recent progress
l Perspectives – forward-looking views on emerging challenges and opportunities
l Short Communications – brief reports of exceptionally time sensitive findings
l Data and Software Papers – curated datasets or tools of broad community utility
Submission Information
All submitted manuscripts will undergo the journal’s standard rigorous peer-review process. Authors are requested to prepare manuscripts according to the Planet author guidelines, available at https://journal.hep.com.cn/planet/EN/guidelines , and to submit via the online submission system at https://journalsubmission.hep.com.cn/mc/planet/login , selecting the Thematic Issue “Mars and Deep Space Exploration” during the submission process.
The planetary science, astrobiology, and aerospace engineering communities are warmly invited to contribute to this exciting collection and to help shape the next chapter of Mars and deep space exploration.
Guest Editors
Bo XU
Professor
China University of Geosciences
Email: bo.xu@cugb.edu.cn
Zengqian HOU
Professor
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China
Email: houzengqian@126.com
Key Dates
Manuscript submission deadline 15 August 2026
Target first decision 31 August 2026
Revised manuscript deadline 15 September 2026
Final acceptance 25 September 2026
Planned publication September 2026 (Volume 2, Issue 3)
About Planet
Planet is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published quarterly, covering the full spectrum of planetary science — from planetary geology and geophysics to atmospheres, magnetospheres, astrobiology, and small-body studies. The journal ensures permanent archiving and unrestricted global access to all published content. Guided by an editorial board of leading researchers spanning the planetary science community, Planet is committed to rigorous peer review, rapid editorial handling, and the widest possible dissemination of high-quality research. Planet now invites submissions for a Thematic Issue on Mars and Deep Space Exploration, to be published in September 2026.
Why Submit to Planet and This Thematic Issue?
· Open Access & Global Visibility: All accepted articles are published open access (free to read worldwide, no subscription barriers) and indexed in NASA ADS, ICI Journal, Dimensions, CNKI and Google Scholar.
· Rigorous, Expedited Review: Thematic Issue submissions receive prioritized peer review by international experts in the field, with a target first-decision time of approximately two weeks.
· Timely Publication: Accepted manuscripts are published online immediately upon acceptance, with the full thematic issue released in September 2026.
· Community Impact: This collection is intended to serve as a benchmark reference for shock metamorphism research, positioning each contribution within a curated, high-visibility interdisciplinary volume.