Japan launches mission to collect sample from Mars’s moon Phobos

Japan’s MMX spacecraft has launched on a five-year mission to explore Mars’s moons and bring a sample from Phobos back to Earth, in what would be the first return of material from the Martian system. The capsule is due to land in Australia in 2031 if the mission succeeds. [1] [2]

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center at 04:41 local time on 20 October. It will travel to Mars, study both moons and focus on Phobos, where a rover is planned to scout the surface before the spacecraft attempts to collect at least 10g of material. [2] [3]

Scientists hope the sample will help resolve how Phobos and Deimos formed. One theory is that they formed from debris after a large object struck Mars; another is that they are asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity. Material from Phobos could also contain grains ejected from Mars by impacts, offering clues about the planet itself, researchers say. [3]

The mission is led by JAXA, with contributions from space agencies in the United States and Europe. Japan has previously returned samples from two asteroids, but no spacecraft has yet brought material back from Mars or its moons. [1] [3]

A separate Chinese mission plans to launch in 2028 and return samples from Mars in 2031. NASA and the European Space Agency’s planned Mars Sample Return mission, which would retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover, has effectively been cancelled after its funding was halted by the US Congress, the BBC reports. [3]