OMM Newsroom
Japan is scheduled to launch a mission on Tuesday to collect samples from a moon of Mars and bring them to Earth, Anadolu Agency reported, citing state-run broadcaster NHK.
The Martian Moons eXploration mission, or MMX, will lift off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan.
The mission will use an H3 rocket and is designed to be the first to land on Phobos, collect material from its surface and return it to Earth.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency led the development of the three-module mission, which has a total development cost of 55.3 billion yen, or nearly $350 million.
The exploration module carries sampling equipment, observation instruments and two super high-definition cameras.
MMX is expected to reach the vicinity of Mars about one year after launch, then spend three years conducting observations.
The return module is expected to bring the samples to Earth during the fiscal year ending in March 2032.
