Japan launches first mission to grab samples from Mars's moon
Japan's spacecraft will spend three years orbiting Mars's moon Phobos before returning samples in 2031 to help plan future human missions.
Japan's space agency launched a spacecraft Tuesday to collect samples from Phobos. Phobos is one of Mars's two small, potato-shaped moons.
The mission will take five years, arriving near Phobos within a year. A rover from France and Germany will land first to explore the surface.
The Japanese spacecraft then collects at least 10 grams of soil. Scientists want to know how Phobos and its smaller sibling Deimos formed.
The data will help plan future human missions to Mars. The spacecraft carries 13 instruments, including equipment from NASA and the European Space Agency.
Landing on Phobos is tricky because it has just one two-thousandth of Earth's gravity.
- Five years total
- Mission duration
- 20 to 30 kilometres
- Phobos diameter
- 13 total
- Spacecraft instruments
- 2031
- Return date
Why it mattersUnderstanding Phobos will shape how space agencies plan to land humans on Mars in the coming decades.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but Australian researchers may access findings to support their own space science and engineering work.
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