Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon
Japanese space agency leading five-year mission to Phobos, one of ‘most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system’
TL;DR
- Japan is launching the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, the first to bring back samples from Phobos, a moon of Mars.
- The mission is expected to take five years and aims to study the formation of Phobos and Deimos, and potentially the origins of life.
- Jaxa is launching the mission on a new H3 rocket, with international support from Nasa and other space agencies.
- Samples from Phobos could be crucial for planning future manned missions to Mars.
- The mission includes a French-German rover, Idefix, to explore the surface before sampling.
- Jaxa aims to collect at least 10g of soil from Phobos using both US and Japanese sampling methods.
- Landing on Phobos presents challenges due to its low gravity and irregular surface.
- The collected samples will be returned to Earth in a heat-protected capsule, with the module expected to land in Australia.