Japan has launched a probe to collect soil samples from a Martian moon Phobos

 

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has launched the MMX probe toward Phobos, a moon of Mars. The spacecraft lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H3 heavy-lift launch vehicle.

 The primary objective of the mission is to collect soil samples from Phobos and return them to Earth. The probe is scheduled to return in 2031, at which point it will release a capsule containing the material for scientific analysis.

Scientists expect that analyzing these samples will help determine the origin of Phobos and provide new insights into Mars. The project will also serve to test technologies that could prove useful for future expeditions to the Red Planet.

The spacecraft has a mass of 4.5 tons, and its solar arrays span 9 meters. According to the developers, the technologies employed in this mission could also be utilized in preparations for crewed flights to Mars.