--- title: "Japan Gives the ‘Go’ to Sample Return Mission to Mars Moon" description: "Japanese space agency JAXA announced today it has greenlit a sample return mission to the Martian moon Phobos called the Martian Moons Exploration mission (MMX). [...]" date: "2020-02-20" modified: "2020-02-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-sample-return-mission-mars-moon" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Moon" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "JAXA" - "mars" - "phobos" - "the digest" --- # Japan Gives the ‘Go’ to Sample Return Mission to Mars Moon ![Japanese space agency JAXA announced today it has greenlit a sample return mission to the Martian moon Phobos called the Martian Moons Exploration mission.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Martian Moons Exploration Japanese space agency JAXA [announced]() today it has greenlit a sample return mission to the Martian moon Phobos called the Martian Moons Exploration mission (MMX). If it's successful, it could result in the first vehicle in the history of space travel that's made it to the Martian system and back home, here, to Earth. https://twitter.com/mmx\_jaxa\_en/status/1230040907061153792 The plan is to launch a spacecraft to the moon in 2024, and then, spend three years surveying both of Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos. The idea's to create a detailed map of both moons' surfaces, using 11 (11!) instruments the craft will be equipped with to do so. If all goes well, the spacecraft will collect a ground sample of just ten grams from at least two centimeters below the moon's surface before taking the long trip home. ## Martian Evolution The mission could answer a pretty simple question: How did both of Mars' moons form? Are they asteroids trapped in Mars' gravity, or did they split off the Red Planet after a violent event? Scientists also want to know how Mars acquired its water during its suspected Earth-like environment phase that took place eons ago. By investigating the composition of the planet's two moons, scientists are hoping to understand Mars' evolution better. The news comes after JAXA managed to land a spacecraft called [Hayabusa2]() on a tiny distant asteroid called Ryugu last year to [collect rock samples](). **READ MORE:** [Japan greenlights mission to bring back sample of Mars moon Phobos]() \[*CNET*\] **More on Japan's space ambitions:** *[NASA Proposed Sending Japanese Astronauts to the Moon]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()