Japan to launch historic round-trip mission to Mars’ moon

Japan is preparing to launch a groundbreaking mission to Mars' moons, aiming to collect samples that could shed light on the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth. The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe, a joint effort with US, European, and Japanese space agencies, along with various universities and tech companies, is set to blast off from the Tanegashima Space Center in the early hours of Tuesday.

The spacecraft will arrive near Mars around August next year, orbiting Phobos, one of the Martian moons, before landing on its surface to collect at least 10 grams of material. The mission, the first of its kind, will also explore the possibility of using Phobos as a "natural space station" to facilitate future human exploration of Mars.

The mission's project manager, Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, stated that the sampling from Phobos is unprecedented and crucial for understanding the formation of Mars and the Martian moons. A French astrophysicist working on the mission, Patrick Michel, explained that the mission could provide insights into how water, volatiles, and organic compounds from the outer Solar System were transported to the inner rocky planets, potentially aiding in the emergence of life.

Despite the challenges posed by Phobos' weak gravity, Japan's experience in sample return missions, including the successful Hayabusa-2 mission, has prepared the team for the complexities of the upcoming mission. The mission, a collaboration with several international partners and involving the development of intricate landing legs, is poised to return valuable samples from Phobos, offering a broader range of samples compared to those on Mars itself.