Storyline: China makes progress in power generation, storage on Mars [Voice_over] Scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China believe they've overcome a major challenge in exploring Mars – how to make and store energy. They've developed a special battery that's fueled by a material widely available on the red planet, its air. USTC researchers say 95 percent of Mars' atmosphere is made up of CO2. In harnessing the atmospheric CO2 molecules, scientists have created a self-fueling battery that can power things like rovers and living quarters. Scientists say the same operating principles apply to their Mars battery as those for lithium-CO2 batteries. [Sound_bite] Xiao Xu, researcher, USTC: "The Mars air battery actually has the same operating principle of the lithium-air battery and the lithium-carbon dioxide battery. It absorbs components from the Martian atmosphere into itself and uses them as the main active gases to release electrical energy, which can be used by Mars rovers or Mars helicopters." [Voice_over] Using the Martian atmosphere as the medium not only significantly reduces the overall weight of the battery system, but also enables in-situ energy acquisition and self-sufficiency, providing a new energy storage solution for Mars development and research. [Sound_bite] Shi Lingfeng, researcher, USTC: "Using the Martian atmosphere means using resources there. Therefore, this is a very good technological solution for the building of a sustainable Mars research station in the future." [Voice_over] China has been accelerating its Mars exploration in recent years. The Tianwen-3 probe is scheduled to be launched in 2028 and to bring samples back to Earth three years later in 2031. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]