Japan launches spacecraft to moons of Mars

On Tuesday, a Japanese spacecraft embarked on an unprecedented journey to Mars, aiming to explore its intriguing moons and retrieve samples. Five global space agencies collaborated for the five-year mission, with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency leading the effort. The spacecraft launched before dawn from Tanegashima Island, Japan's primary spaceport.

This unique endeavor, known as MMX for Martian Moons Exploration, marks the first time a spacecraft will attempt to land on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars' two moons. No one has ever ventured onto Phobos or its smaller counterpart, Deimos, and no one has succeeded in collecting samples from Mars or its moons. If the mission succeeds, Martian moon samples will return to Earth in 2031.

NASA astrophysicist Tom Statler expressed excitement about the project, highlighting the anticipation surrounding the mission. Japan's advantage lies in its previous asteroid sample returns. Phobos, a lumpy, potato-shaped rock approximately 14 miles (22 kilometers) across, holds valuable clues about Mars' moons and potentially moons elsewhere in the solar system.

The $578 million mission features a 5-ton spacecraft that should reach Mars by late next summer. It will match Phobos' orbit, ejecting the French-German rover, Idefix, after synchronization. Idefix, smaller than a microwave oven, will land on Phobos independently, bounce for a few minutes, and come to rest due to the moon's weak gravity.

The rover, no bigger than a microwave oven, can navigate at a mere 1 millimeter per second (0.04 inches per second). Once its solar panels are deployed, it cannot right itself if it lands upside down or gets stuck in soft soil or between rocks.

During its 100-day exploration, Idefix will scout Phobos for safety and provide valuable data for the mothership's sample collection. Japanese flight controllers aim to avoid powdery soil and rough terrain when the lander descends to gather samples in late 2028 or 2029. The lander will spend just two hours on Phobos, drilling and vacuuming at least 10 grams of material before returning to space.

It will study Deimos through flybys before leaving Mars' neighborhood in 2030 and returning to Earth in 2031, landing in the Australian desert.