Japan’s MMX Mission Wants to Bring Martian Moon Samples Back to Earth
Japan's space agency, JAXA, is launching the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission to study Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos. The mission aims to collect samples from Phobos to determine whether the moons are captured asteroids or debris from a planetary collision.
Why it matters
Understanding the origin of Martian moons provides critical insights into the history of the solar system and the formation of planetary bodies.
It’s difficult to imagine a more daunting journey than one to an alien moon named after the Greek god of fear—especially when three other attempts to make that journey have failed.
And yet, as Japan’s space agency, JAXA, and its collaborators gear up to send a spacecraft to Mars’ formidably named moon, “all the members are filled with a quiet sense of excitement,” says Kiyoshi Kuramoto, who leads the mission’s slew of international scientists.
Headlinne story · 7 newsrooms
Japan Launches Historic Spacecraft on Journey to Mars Moons
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