Japan launched the MMX probe atop an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41am today. The spacecraft will collect soil from Mars' moon Phobos to help explain our solar system's origins. "The samples from MMX will bring forth paradigm-shifting science," said NASA official Nicky Fox about the mission.
Japan has launched a pioneering mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars' moons. The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe was launched atop the H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41am today. The historic mission could help unravel the mysteries of our solar system's origins and even shed light on how life began on Earth.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the MMX probe successfully separated from the H3 rocket over an hour after launch.
The spacecraft is now on its way to the Martian system, with plans to reach Mars around August next year.
Once there, it will orbit Phobos and conduct surface observations with a French-German rover named IDEFIX before collecting samples for return to Earth.
Mars has two small, irregular moons named Phobos and Deimos. They were discovered in 1877.
The MMX mission, a first-of-its-kind round trip to the Martian region, is a collaborative effort with US and European space agencies.
Once it reaches Phobos, the spacecraft will collect at least 10gm of surface material during its three-year stay near Mars.
The samples will be brought back to Earth in 2030, marking a major milestone in space exploration.
The MMX mission could lay the groundwork for future human exploration of Mars.
The samples from MMX will bring forth paradigm-shifting science on the Mars system for generations to come, especially as NASA prepares to send the first humans to Mars, said Nicky Fox, administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
The mission also seeks to understand how Phobos and Deimos were formed, key knowledge in understanding our solar system's formation.