JAXA Launches MMX Mission to Collect Phobos Samples

Why in News?

Japan launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard its H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre on 20 October. Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the mission aims to land on Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, collect samples and return them to Earth.

The spacecraft is expected to reach the Martian system in August 2027 and bring samples back to Earth in 2031. If successful, it will become the first mission to return samples from a Martian moon.

About the MMX Mission

• Full name: Martian Moons eXploration.
• Lead agency: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• Launch vehicle: H3 rocket.
• Launch site: Tanegashima Space Centre, Japan.
• Target: Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two moons.
• Mission cost: Approximately $578 million.
• Expected sample return: 2031.
• Sample collection target: At least 10 grams of material.
• International cooperation: Five space agencies are supporting the mission.

Key Features of the Mission

• Sample collection: The spacecraft will collect material from Phobos for detailed laboratory analysis on Earth.
• Deployment of a rover: It will release Idefix, a small French-German rover named after the white terrier in the Asterix comics.
• Orbital operations: The spacecraft will match Phobos’ orbit before deploying the rover and conducting surface operations.
• Scientific analysis: Samples will help scientists investigate the composition, origin and evolution of Mars’ moons.

About Phobos

• Phobos is the larger and closer of Mars’ two natural satellites.
• It is an irregular, potato-shaped rocky body approximately 22 kilometres across.
• Its origin remains uncertain. One possibility is that it formed from material associated with a major impact on Mars; another is that it is a captured asteroid.
• Studying its composition could help scientists understand the formation and evolution of Mars’ moons and potentially provide insights into the origins of other planetary moons.

Mars’ other natural satellite is Deimos, which is smaller and farther from the planet than Phobos.

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