Japan's MMX Probe to Retrieve Phobos Samples
JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission will land on Phobos and collect at least 10 grams of material. The spacecraft will take about a year to reach Mars, spend three years in orbit, and return to Earth by 2031. Scientists hope the samples will reveal whether the Martian moons formed from a giant impact or were captured asteroids.
This summary is AI-generated and original to Mobble; the linked article is the authoritative source.
Original headline: “Japan Is Launching a Probe to Collect the First-Ever Samples From a Martian Moon.” Browse more stories.