Japan has successfully launched an unprecedented space mission aimed at returning rock and soil samples from Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) announced that the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) spacecraft lifted off before dawn aboard the country's flagship H3 rocket from Tanegashima island in south-western Japan.
Scientists hope that analyzing the collected Martian-system material will provide valuable insights into the origins of the solar system and the development of life on Earth. Meanwhile, other nations are also pursuing Martian sample returns: NASA's Perseverance rover has gathered samples on Mars, though its return timeline faced changes following a congressional vote earlier this year, and China plans to launch its Tianwen-3 mission around 2028 with a potential return as early as 2031.