A full-scale model of a Chinese-made Mars rover is displayed at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Friday. LIU HUAIYU/CHINA DAILY

China is planning for its Mars exploration mission with preliminary research already underway, a senior space official said.

"We are working to have the government include the Mars exploration project in the country's space agenda," Tian Yulong, secretary-general of the China National Space Administration, told China Daily on Monday.

"Meanwhile, we have started the preliminary research for the Mars mission."

His remarks came less than a week after China made public a prototype model of its Mars rover at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which closed on Sunday in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

The probe for China's future Mars exploration project will comprise three devices－the orbiter, lander and rover－said Peng Tao, a space expert with the China Academy of Space Technology, the country's leading developer of spacecraft.

"We plan to conduct the Mars mission around 2020, which will include the probe's orbiting, landing and roaming," he said. "By contrast, other nations will need multiple missions to achieve those three steps."

Jia Yang, the academy researcher who led the development of China's first lunar rover, the Yutu, told Xinhua News Agency that the Mars rover will have six wheels based on the current design. The Mars rover will be larger than the Yutu and better at crossing obstacles because Mars has many large rocks.

"We must improve its adaptability to the complex terrain," he said.