Japan launches MMX probe to collect Martian moon Phobos' soil

The H3 launch vehicle lifted off from the Tanegashima space center on October 20 at 04:41 Japanese time. This launch was the tenth for the rocket, including two unsuccessful ones. The probe separated from it about 1 hour 11 minutes after launch at an altitude of approximately 592 km. Initially, the mission was planned for 2024, but due to problems with the carrier, it was decided to wait for five successful H3 launches in a row.

The journey to Mars will take about a year: the spacecraft is expected to arrive there in August 2027. The station is to collect at least 10 grams of substance from Phobos' surface, the largest of the two Martian moons, at one or two points. Before the main spacecraft lands on Phobos, a small rover IDEFIX, created under the auspices of the European Space Agency with the participation of the French CNES and the German DLR, is planned to be deployed - in late 2028 or early 2029. The smaller moon, Deimos, will be studied remotely by the probe.

There are 13 scientific instruments on board in total. The capsule with samples is expected to return in 2031 and land on a parachute in Australia, from where it will be delivered to Japan for analysis. Thanks to NASA's participation, American scientists will receive at least 15% of the collected soil. The main scientific goal is to determine whether Phobos is a captured asteroid or if it was formed from debris after a collision between Mars and another body.