Martian Moons Exploration Mission

Martian Moons Exploration Mission Latest News

Japan is preparing to launch an ambitious Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission to one of Mars’ mysterious moons, Phobos, by using Japan’s H3 rocket.

About Martian Moons Exploration Mission

• It is a mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). 
• The mission will primarily focus on Phobos, a Martian moon that has never been explored.
• Focus: It will observe the topography, internal structure, composition, and gravity of the moon, and return samples of sand.
• It aims to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos and return it to Earth in 2031.
• It will also study both Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ two small moons, to investigate their origins and evolution.
• The mission will travel to the Martian system aboard Japan’s H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center.
• It is scheduled to reach Mars in 2027.
• It will deploy a small rover, developed jointly by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and France’s CNES, to study the surface and support exploration.
• NASA is contributing two key technologies to this mission
  • MEGANE instrument, which will analyse the elemental composition of Phobos, and a pneumatic sampler designed to collect surface material.
  • Pneumatic sampler that uses high-pressure nitrogen gas to lift surface particles into a collection container.

Source: IT

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