Japan plans to launch the Martian Moons eXploration space probe to study the moons of Mars, particularly Phobos, in the coming months. JAXA reports this, according to UNN.
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The launch will take place from the Tanegashima Space Center. The probe will spend about three years near Mars and is expected to land on Phobos to collect at least 10 grams of material from its surface.
During the mission, the spacecraft will also study Deimos, Mars's second moon. After completing its work, the capsule will return the collected samples to Earth, tentatively in 2031, landing in Australia.
Japan wants to determine the origin of Mars's moons
The French rover Idefix will also operate on the surface of Phobos. The Japanese mission is expected to help determine how Mars and its moons formed, as well as provide more information about the processes that influenced the formation of the Solar System.
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The project also has practical significance for future flights to Mars. JAXA expects that the data obtained will help prepare technologies and knowledge for future crewed missions to the Red Planet.
Japan also seeks to outpace China, which is developing its own mission to study the moons of Mars.
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