Japan is preparing to launch a spacecraft on the world's first mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars's two small moons. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) aims to launch the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission on Tuesday using a new H3 rocket.
Scientists anticipate the five-year mission will provide data on how Phobos and its sibling moon, Deimos, formed. It is also hoped the samples could shed light on the origins of life in the solar system.
Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, project manager for the MMX mission, stated that samples from Phobos could offer useful data for considering a Martian moon as a base for future manned missions to Mars. Kiyoshi Kuramoto, principal investigator, believes analysing soil samples will almost certainly lead to conclusions about the moons' formation.
The mission involves an international collaboration, including equipment and communications support from Nasa and other national space agencies. The spacecraft will carry 13 instruments, including a rover developed by France and Germany, which will land on Phobos to explore its surface.
Jaxa scientists plan to collect at least 10g of soil from Phobos using both US and Japanese sampling methods. The samples will be stored in a heat-protected capsule designed for re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, with the module expected to land in Australia before being sent to Japan.