Japan Is Launching a Probe to Collect the First-Ever Samples From a Martian Moon
SMRTR summary
Japan's space agency JAXA is launching a $345 million mission called MMX on October 20, 2026, to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars' two moons. The probe will spend about three years orbiting Mars before returning the first-ever Martian moon rocks to Earth in 2031. Scientists hope the samples will reveal how Mars' moons formed, whether from a giant impact or captured asteroids.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Wired.
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