From France24 · · 1m 20s
Japan Launches Mars Moon Mission
Japan's MMX mission aims to explore Mars' moons and return samples by 2031.
In brief
Japan's MMX mission aims to explore Mars' moons and return samples by 2031. Japan's MMX mission will land on Phobos in 2028-2029 to collect samples from Mars' moon and return them to Earth by 2031. Originally reported by France24.
Japan launches mars moon mission
Japan's spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday for a five-year mission to explore its moons and bring back samples.
Five space agencies join mission
Five of the world's space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission targeting Phobos, Mars' larger moon.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the spacecraft before dawn from Tanegashima Island, achieving success an hour later.
First mission to Phobos
No one has ever landed on Phobos or its sidekick Deimos, or fetched samples from Mars.
Phobos mission timeline
The mission will reach Mars by late next summer, deploy the Idefix rover on Phobos, and return samples by 2031.
Rover details
Idefix, a 100-day scout rover, will land on Phobos and move at 1 millimetre per second after solar panels deploy.
Sample collection plan
The lander will drill and vacuum 10 grams of material from Phobos before launching back to Earth in 2031.
Scientific significance
Studying Phobos could reveal how Mars' moons formed and whether they are stray asteroids.
The key point
Japan's MMX mission will land on Phobos in 2028-2029 to collect samples from Mars' moon and return them to Earth by 2031.
