Japan prepares first round-trip sample mission to a Martian moon

· Science · Japan

Japanese scientists are readying a mission to Mars' moons to retrieve samples that could help explain the origins of the solar system and of life on Earth, in what is intended to be the first round trip to the Martian region. The report gives no launch date, spacecraft name or budget, and does not specify which of the two moons is the target. The mission's significance lies in bringing pristine material from the Martian system back to Earth laboratories, where it can be analysed with instruments far more sensitive than anything flown in space. If it succeeds, Japan would become the first country to complete a return journey to the Martian region, extending its record in small-body sample return.

Why it matters：Sample return from the Martian system would give researchers pristine material to test ideas about how planets and life-forming chemistry evolved, and would strengthen Japan's position in a field where several space agencies are competing.

Key points

  • The stated aim is the first round trip to the Martian region.
  • Samples would be used to study the origins of the solar system and of life on Earth.
  • No launch date, spacecraft name or target moon is given in the report.

Sources (original reporting)

More stories from this day