Japan launches ambitious robotic mission to Martian moon Phobos
Soil samples collected by the MMX probe will shed light on the mysterious origin of the red planet's two moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Japan initiated a $350 million mission on Monday to investigate Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, with unprecedented detail. The Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission involves dropping a small rover on Phobos, followed by the mothership collecting soil samples for return to Earth by 2031. The primary goal is to ascertain whether these moons formed from an early solar system impact or if they are captured asteroids.
Phobos, measuring 17 miles across, and Deimos, less than half that size, are both irregularly shaped and similar to asteroids. The rover, weighing 55 pounds, will bounce onto Phobos' surface before studying the soil. In 2030, the MMX spacecraft will land on Phobos once and possibly twice to gather additional soil samples. The mission, launched at 3:41 p.m. EDT from the Tanegashima Space Center, will be the first to return samples from the Mars system.
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Also reported by 5 other outlets
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- Japan launches mission to return samples from Mars moon channelnewsasia.com
