In this Nov. 4, 2014, file photo, visitors to the 16th China International Industry Fair (CIIF) in Shanghai, China, look at a prototype of what a Chinese Mars rover would look like.

(Chinatopix Via AP)

China is moving forward on a planned mission to land a rover on Mars by 2020, according to the chief administrator of the country's space program.

The Mars voyage will attempt to mimic the successfulViking 1 mission four decades ago that allowed NASA to land a rover on the Red Planet. China's plans for the mission were formally announced in January, but officials stressed Friday that it's moving forward as planned.

"What we would like to do is to orbit Mars, make a landing, and rove around for reconnaissance in one mission, which is quite a challenge," China National Space Administration head Xu Dazhe said at a rare news conference. "This is a project that has attracted much attention from both the science and space fields."

(WATCH: NASA Wants to Grow Potatoes on Mars)

Xu said China will further explore civilian uses of space technology in areas such as navigation, remote sensing and communications, and will seek international collaborations.

Since conducting its first crewed mission on a Chinese-built Shenzhou spacecraft in 2003, China has launched an experimental space station called the Tiangong 1, staged a spacewalk and landed its Yutu rover on the moon.

This year, it plans to launch components for a larger, permanent Tiangong 2 space station sometime after the beginning of June, as well as the Shenzhou 11 spaceship with two astronauts on board who are scheduled to dock with the station and live in it for several days. Administrators suggest a manned landing on the Moon may also be in the program's future.

A source of enormous national pride, China's military-backed space program plans a total of 20 space missions this year at a time when the U.S. and other countries' programs are seeking new roles.

China is also developing the Long March 5 heavier-lift rocket needed to launch the Tiangong 2 and other massive payloads.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: The Red Planet

The Red Planet

This image released Aug. 27, 2003 captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows a close-up of Mars when the telescope was 34,648,840 miles away. The picture, assembled from a series of exposures, was taken just 11 hours before the planet made its closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years.