Japan will launch a spacecraft for a mission to collect samples from a Mars satellite

Japan is going to launch a spacecraft as part of the world's first mission to deliver samples from Phobos - one of two small satellites of Mars, writes sb.by.

As reported by The Associated Press, scientists hope that this mission, which is expected to take five years, will provide an answer to how Phobos and Deimos formed, and information about the origin of life in the solar system.

“The launch of the spacecraft by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Tuesday on the new Japanese H-3 launch vehicle will take place against the backdrop of efforts by countries such as the United States and China to send astronauts to Mars,” the article says.

Samples taken from Phobos will provide scientists with useful data to consider using a Mars satellite as a base for a future manned mission to the planet, said MMX project manager Yasuhiro Kawakatsu:

- Despite their potential significance, Martian satellites have never been fully explored. They are considered the most important mountains that no one has ever conquered in the solar system.

Japan is leading an international mission in which NASA and other national space agencies provide communications equipment.