Japan launches first mission to collect samples from Martian moon

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 18 Oct, 17:13 · Archive

Japan is launching the world's first spacecraft mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of Mars's two small moons.

Japan is launching the world's first mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars's two small, potato-shaped moons. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch the spacecraft on Tuesday aboard its H3 rocket. The five-year mission is an international effort that includes equipment and communications support from Nasa and other national space agencies.

Scientists hope the mission will provide clues to how Phobos and its smaller sibling Deimos formed and potentially shed light on the origins of life in the solar system. Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, the project manager for the Martian Moons eXploration mission, said samples from Phobos would provide useful data for scientists considering using a Martian moon as a base for future manned missions to Mars. The Martian moons have been called 'the most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system' and have largely remained a mystery despite dozens of Mars missions since the 1960s.

Key questions surround how Phobos and Deimos formed and what they are made of. Some scientists believe the two irregular, crater-pocked bodies could be remnants of debris formed after a large celestial object crashed into Mars; others suggest they could be asteroids from elsewhere. Multiple Russian attempts to land on Phobos, including one in 2011, have failed. The United States, China and others are also considering sending astronauts to Mars.

How it is being reported

• Japan to launch first-ever mission to get samples from a Martian moonScientists hope the mission, which is expected to take five years, will provide clues to how Phobos and its smaller sibling Deimos formed, and hopefully even shed light on the origins of life in the solar system.New York Post · 18 Oct, 17:02
• Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moonJapanese space agency leading five-year mission to Phobos, one of ‘most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system’ Japan is to launch a spacecraft on the world’s first mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of the two small, potato-shaped moons orbiting Mars. Scientists hope the mission, which is expected to take five years, will provide clues to how Phobos and its smaller sibling Deimos formed, and hopefully even shed light on the origins of life in the solar system. Continue reading...The Guardian · 18 Oct, 09:11

In this story: Japan · Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency · Nasa · Phobos · Mars · Deimos · Yasuhiro Kawakatsu

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