Japan Launches MMX Space Mission to Retrieve First Martian Moon Samples

Japan successfully launched a spacecraft on October 19 on a mission to gather soil samples from the moons of Mars, Good News Network and CNET reported. The Martian Moons eXploration mission, known as MMX, lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H3 rocket at 3:41 p.m. EDT, according to Good News Network. [1][3][4][5]

The primary goal of the mission is to land on the Martian moon Phobos and bring the first soil samples from the Martian system back to Earth, Good News Network and Nation Path India reported. Nation Path India and Good News Network noted that the probe is scheduled to return its samples to Earth in 2031. [1][4]

The MMX robotic space probe is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The spacecraft will deploy a rover onto Phobos, collect surface samples, observe the moon Deimos during flybys, and monitor the atmosphere of Mars. [1][7]

Scientists hope the gathered information will help clarify whether the moons of Mars are captured asteroids or fragments created when a large body collided with Mars. [7]