Japan launched an H3 rocket carrying a spacecraft to explore one of Mars' moons kicking off a five-year sample-retrieval mission, the country's space agency said.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the unmanned Martian Moons eXploration probe using its H3 No. 10 rocket at 4:41 a.m. local time from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.
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The flagship rocket released the probe about 71 minutes after liftoff, placing it on a trajectory toward Mars.
The MMX probe is planned to land on Phobos, the larger and closer of the two moons orbiting Mars, collect at least 10 grams of surface material, and return the samples to Earth, according to JAXA.
The probe is expected to arrive in the Martian system in 2027 and conduct detailed observations of Phobos, including from a quasi-satellite orbit. It will also observe Deimos, another Martian moon, during the mission.
The mission includes the deployment of a small rover named Idefix to explore the surface of Phobos and support landing and sample collection operations.
JAXA aims for the samples to arrive on Earth in 2031, potentially providing new insights into the origins of the Martian moons and the evolution of the Martian system.
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