Dec 30, 2016 02:42 AM EST By Emily Marks, UniversityHerald Reporter

China has announced that it will launch its first Mars probe by 2020. This comes after NASA, SpaceX and Boeing have revealed that their Mars plans for the near future.

According to the Associated Press, via CBS News, China vowed that it will work double time on the development of its space industry last Tuesday. Along with the 2020 Mars probe announcement, the country has also announced that it aims to be the first to land a probe on the far side of the moon by 2018.

China revealed that it dreams of exploring the universe, developing the space industry and building itself into a space power. The country also said that its space plans will be used for peaceful purposes and guarantees national security as well as cutting-edge scientific research.

While Russia and the United States have become the leaders in space travel, China has been able to keep up in a short span of time. The country was able to conduct its first crewed space mission last 2003 and staged a spacewalk as well as landed a rover on the moon three years ago.

The 2020 Mars probe, which is expected to bring back samples from the red planet, is only the beginning for China. The country also plans to explore Jupiter and its system as well as conduct research on the solar system's origin and evolution. Moreover, China has announced its plans to search for extra-terrestrial life.

Business Standard reported that China's moon probe in 2018 aims to conduct topographic and geological surveys on lunar samples. This will be used to better understand the formation and evolution of the moon.

The publication noted that the country is also planning to set up its own permanent space station by 2022. Furthermore, China will be launching a hard X-ray modulation telescope to focus on the study of matter dynamics and high-energy radiation processes of celestial bodies and black holes.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit