Japan's robotic MMX spacecraft is travelling toward Phobos, the larger of Mars's two natural moons, after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H3 rocket in the early hours of Tuesday, Japanese time. According to Geopolitika.no, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed about an hour after launch that the probe had separated from the rocket and begun its journey to the Mars system. JAXA also reported receiving signals from the craft as expected, indicating it was operating normally.
The mission is designed to bring material from the Mars system back to Earth, which would be a first. Geopolitika.no reports that the spacecraft is expected to arrive at Mars in August 2027, where it will enter an orbit close to Phobos and attempt to gather at least ten grams of surface material. The collection itself is expected to take roughly two hours.
"I have dreamed of this day, so I am incredibly happy," JAXA researcher Mari Aida said, according to Geopolitika.no. "Right now I feel very relieved."
Why it matters
Phobos is a small, irregular, potato-shaped body about 22 kilometres across. Despite its modest size, the material the mission hopes to retrieve could help settle a long-running question about how Mars and its two moons came to exist.
One leading theory holds that the moons formed from debris after a large body struck Mars. Another suggests they are asteroids that the planet's gravity captured. Geopolitika.no reports that JAXA believes confirming either explanation would sharpen researchers' understanding of how a habitable environment might have arisen on the rocky planets closest to the Sun.
The mission also carries weight beyond planetary science. NASA has said the samples could inform later human exploration of Mars. In a video message, Nicky Fox, who heads NASA's science mission directorate, said the MMX samples would yield pathbreaking knowledge about the Mars system for generations, particularly as the agency prepares to send the first people to Mars.
A French-German rover and a plan to leave in 2030
The mission is a collaboration involving American and European space organisations, universities and technology companies, according to Geopolitika.no. A French-German rover named IDEFIX is to explore the surface of Phobos and help ensure the Japanese probe can land safely. The small rover takes its name from the dog in the Asterix comics.
The spacecraft is also scheduled to make several flybys of Deimos, Mars's other moon, before leaving the Mars region in 2030 under the current plan.
Beyond the sample return, the mission will examine what would be required to use Phobos as a kind of natural space station on a round trip. Geopolitika.no describes the moon as an irregular, potato-shaped rock roughly 22 kilometres in diameter.
The launch and separation mark the start of a cruise phase that will last until the planned Mars arrival in 2027. What to watch next is whether the spacecraft stays healthy on its way to the red planet and whether the Phobos sampling attempt proceeds as planned.
