Japan aims for the moons of Mars

Japanese scientists are preparing a mission to explore Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos, in an attempt to retrieve samples that could reveal crucial insights into the origins of the solar system and life on Earth. The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft will launch from Tanegashima Space Center in the coming months.

Once in orbit around Mars, the spacecraft will spend around three years conducting its mission before attempting to land on Phobos and collecting at least 10 grams of material from its surface. A French rover named IDEFIX will also observe Phobos during the mission. Additionally, MMX will study Deimos without landing. The spacecraft will then return to Earth, with the sample-return capsule landing in Australia around 2031.

JAXA aims for the mission to shed light on Martian moon formation theories, which include the giant impact hypothesis and the capture hypothesis. Determining the accurate origin of the moons could help scientists understand how habitable environments for life may have arisen on Earth and other rocky planets. Patrick Michel, a French astrophysicist involved in the IDEFIX rover project, believes that studying Phobos and Deimos could provide clues to the origins of life itself.

The MMX mission is a collaborative effort involving JAXA, France's CNES, Germany's DLR, NASA, and the ESA, alongside numerous universities and technology companies.