Japan launches historic mission to collect samples from a moon of Mars

Japan launched a spacecraft on October 20 that aims to be the first mission ever to bring back pieces of a moon that orbits Mars. The probe, called MMX — short for Martian Moons eXploration — blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 4:41 in the morning local time. Scientists hope the samples it collects will help explain how Mars, its moons, and even life on Earth came to be. The mission is a team effort between Japan, the United States, and several European countries.

The H3 rocket carrying the MMX probe lit up the dark sky and soared into space without a problem. About an hour after liftoff, Japan's space agency — known as JAXA — announced that the probe had separated from the rocket and was on its way. JAXA scientist Mari Aida said she had dreamed of this moment for a long time. 'I'd dreamt of this day, so I'm incredibly happy,' she said. Thousands of people watched a live video stream of the launch and posted messages of support online.

MMX is expected to reach Mars around August 2027. Once there, it will orbit Phobos, one of Mars's two small moons. A small rover called IDEFIX — named after the dog in the French comic book Asterix — will drive across the surface of Phobos to find safe spots for landing. Its observations will help the main spacecraft choose where to touch down safely. The rover was built through a partnership between French and German space teams.

After landing on Phobos, MMX plans to collect at least 10 grams of rock and soil from the moon's surface. The mission is designed to last about three years near Mars before heading home. Scientists want to bring those samples back to Earth so they can study them in laboratories. Even a small amount of material from Phobos could teach researchers a great deal about the history of our solar system.

There are two main ideas about how Phobos and Deimos formed. One idea, called the 'giant impact' hypothesis, says a large space object crashed into Mars long ago and the debris clumped together to form the moons. The other idea, called the 'capture' hypothesis, says the moons were once asteroids pulled in by Mars's gravity. Finding out which idea is correct will help scientists understand how rocky planets like Earth developed and whether conditions for life could have appeared on them.

JAXA also hopes the mission will help future astronauts travel to Mars. Scientists think Phobos could serve as a 'natural space station' — a stopping point where crew members could prepare before heading down to Mars's surface. Learning how to make a round trip to Phobos and back is seen as important practice for crewed Mars missions. Meanwhile, other countries are racing to return Mars samples to Earth. China plans to launch its own mission around 2028 and hopes to bring back Mars samples by 2031 — possibly before MMX returns.