Historic mission: Japan launches spacecraft to Mars' moons for sample collection

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched the MMX mission this morning from the Tanegashima Space Center, aiming to become the first agency to land on Mars' moons and return soil samples. The mission, costing $578 million, is expected to reach Mars in the summer of 2027.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched the MMX mission this morning (Tuesday) from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H3 rocket. The ambitious mission aims to become the first in history to land on Mars' moons and return soil samples to Earth. The mission cost is estimated at approximately $578 million, and it involves collaboration between five space agencies, including NASA and the space agencies of France and Germany. The probe is expected to reach the vicinity of Mars in late summer 2027. According to the plan, it will land the small European rover "Idefix" on the surface of the moon Phobos to scan the surface, and then land itself towards the end of 2028 to drill and collect at least ten grams of dust and rocks. The samples from Phobos, which researchers hope will reveal whether the moons were formed from an ancient collision or captured by Mars' gravity, and may also provide clues about the origin of life, are scheduled to return to Earth and land in the Australian desert in 2031.