Japan prepares to launch sample-return mission to Martian moon Phobos
publishers 19articles 19first reported 17 Oct, 21:39 UTCdeveloping since 18 Oct · 10 editions
Japan is preparing to launch an uncrewed spacecraft on Tuesday on a mission to collect samples from Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said its Martian Moons eXploration probe, known as MMX, is scheduled to lift off aboard an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 a.m. The project involves U.S. and European space agencies, universities and technology companies.
The spacecraft is expected to reach the vicinity of Mars around August 2027. It will orbit Phobos before attempting to land and collect at least 10 grams of surface material during about three years of operations near Mars. A rover named Idefix will first examine the surface to help prepare for a safe landing. MMX will also observe Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, without landing there, before returning to Earth.
JAXA says the mission would be the first round trip to the Martian system and the first effort to retrieve samples from Phobos. Scientists hope the material will help determine whether Mars’ moons formed from debris after a large impact or are asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity. The samples could also provide evidence about how water, volatile substances and organic compounds were transported through the early solar system.
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