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A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon

Japan launched the five-hundred-seventy-eight-million-dollar Martian Moons Exploration spacecraft toward Mars to gather soil and rock samples from the moon Phobos. Five of the world's space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission, which attempts to land a robotic prospector and a rover on the larger of the two Martian moons. The spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth by twenty-thirty-one with the first-ever samples from the Martian system. Scientists hope the mission will reveal secrets about the origins of the solar system and how life began on Earth.

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  • ✓ Japan launched the $578M MMX spacecraft toward Mars to collect samples from its moon Phobos.
  • ✓ The mission is scheduled to return to Earth by 2031.
  • ✓ Five of the world's space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission.
  • ✓ The mission will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos.
🛡️ Source Corroboration: 14 independent reporting domains (100% confidence) ⏱ Read time: ~2 min

What changed

Japan launched the MMX spacecraft toward Mars on Tuesday on its sample-return mission.

Live updates

  1. Japan Launches MMX Mission to Collect Samples From Martian Moon

    Japan launched the five-hundred-seventy-eight-million-dollar Martian Moons Exploration spacecraft toward Mars to gather soil and rock samples from the moon Phobos. Five of the world's space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission, which attempts to land a robotic prospector and a rover on the larger of the two Martian moons. The spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth by twenty-thirty-one with the first-ever samples from the Martian system. Scientists hope the mission will reveal secrets about the origins of the solar system and how life began on Earth.

    Why it matters

    Mars features two tiny moons whose origins remain a mystery to researchers, with some theories suggesting they could be captured asteroids or debris from a massive impact. The mission represents the first time any space program has attempted a return trip to the Martian moons. Japan leads the international effort, which also has the potential to collect dust blown off the surface of Mars itself.

    What is confirmed

    • Japan launched the $578M MMX spacecraft toward Mars to collect samples from its moon Phobos.
    • The mission is scheduled to return to Earth by 2031.
    • Five of the world's space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission.
    • The mission will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos.

    Still unconfirmed

    • The spacecraft might also collect some indirect Mars dust alongside the samples from Phobos.

    What to watch next

    • Arrival of the spacecraft at the Martian system
    • Deployment of the robotic prospector and rover on Phobos
    • Progress of the five-year return journey toward Earth by 2031
    Sources used for this update (15)
    1. Space — Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars
    2. BBC — Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon
    3. Mashable — JAXA's Martian Moons Exploration mission launch: how to watch live
    4. The New York Times — A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon
    5. Financial Times — Japan leads mission to make first return trip to Mars
    6. www.sciencenews.org — Japan’s sample return mission to Phobos may also collect some Mars dust
    7. www.theguardian.com — Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from ...
    8. nypost.com — Japan launches spacecraft on mission to explore mysterious moons of Mars
    9. www.goodnewsnetwork.org — Japan Successfully Launches Mission to Bring Home the First-Ever Martian Moon Samples
    10. www.theguardian.com — ‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’: Japan launches historic mission ...
    11. www.westhawaiitoday.com — A Japanese spacecraft aims to bring back a bit of a Martian moon | West Hawaii Today
    12. dnyuz.com — A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon
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