Japan Sends Probe to Bring Back First Mars Moon Samples

If successful, the JAXA-led mission would be the first to land on a Martian moon, collect surface samples, and return them to Earth in 2031.

Japan's flagship H3 launch vehicle lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:41:03 AM on October 20.

One hour and 11 minutes later, the H3's 10th flight successfully placed the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft into its planned orbit. MMX aims to return to Earth in 2031 with the world's first samples collected from a Martian Mars.

According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), MMX is 5.3 meters tall, spans 9 meters with its solar panels deployed, and weighs about 4.5 tons. Its development cost was ¥55.3 billion (about $350 million).

Around August next year, the spacecraft will enter orbit around Mars. Over the following three years, it will explore Mars and its two moons, Phobos and Deimos.

Collecting Samples from Phobos

In particular, it will land on Phobos twice to collect sand and other material. It will also use a small rover, jointly developed by France and Germany, to examine the moon's surface in detail.

In autumn 2030, MMX will leave Martian orbit and head back to Earth, arriving in summer 2031. A capsule containing the collected samples will separate from the spacecraft, descend through Earth's atmosphere, and be recovered in Australia.

The H3 has now achieved three consecutive successful launches, raising its overall success rate to 80%. The No. 10 rocket is approximately 63 meters long and uses the H3-24 configuration, the most powerful variant of Japan's domestically developed rocket, featuring two main engines and four solid rocket boosters.

To send MMX beyond Earth's gravitational pull and toward Mars, the H3 accelerated it to 11.15 kilometers per second, the highest speed achieved by an H3 launch to date.

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(Read the article in Japanese.)

Author: Shinji Ono, The Sankei Shimbun