The launch took place at Tanegashima, in southwestern Japan, and 71 minutes later, the rocket deployed the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, which will survey the red planet’s moons and collect material from their surfaces.
JAXA announced that MMX aims to land on Phobos, the larger of the two Martian moons, collect at least 10 grams of samples, and bring them back to Earth by 2031.
The mission expects to reach the Martian system in 2027, conduct detailed observations from orbit, and also study Deimos, the planet’s other moon.
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