Japan Launches Spaceship Destined for Mars's Moons, Bringing Back Earthbound Sample for Analysis
In the realm of space exploration, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is gearing up for its next grand endeavour – the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. Scheduled to launch in 2026, this mission aims to shed light on the enigmatic origins of Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Phobos and Deimos, resembling potato-shaped asteroids, are believed to have formed from the disruption of a common parent body around 1 to 2.7 billion years ago. While two leading theories exist – the Captured Asteroids Theory and the Impact-Generated Formation Theory – recent evidence favours the latter, suggesting both moons originated from a shattered common parent body, possibly an asteroid broken apart near Mars.
The MMX mission will collect material that has been scattered from Mars over the last few billion years. This material could provide invaluable insights into the Martian system's history. The mission will also retrieve a minimum of 10g of samples from Phobos, a feat made challenging by Phobos' weaker gravity, which is stronger than asteroids like Ryugu but weaker than Mars or the Moon.
JAXA is no stranger to interplanetary missions. Its most high-profile mission before MMX was Hayabusa2, which collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu and returned them to Earth in 2020. The MMX mission will build upon this success, with international collaboration from NASA, CNES, and DLR, contributing instruments and technology.
MMX will go into orbit around Mars in 2027 before manoeuvring into a quasi-satellite orbit close to Phobos. A four-legged rover called IDEFIX will land on Phobos and collect samples, while cameras and LIDAR will make measurements and select the best landing site.
The MMX spacecraft will also carry the Super Hi-Vision Camera, an 8K-capable camera that will capture the highest-resolution images of Mars and its moons ever taken. These images will be stored on a hard drive and transmitted back to Earth upon the spacecraft's return to Earth in 2031.
The MMX mission could also shed light on a third theory – that Phobos and Deimos were once a single comet that was trapped in orbit by Mars' gravity. Additionally, MMX's samples may help resolve differences between remote sensing data and actual samples due to space weathering effects.
Phobos, at 22.5km in diameter, is the larger of the two moons, orbiting very near Mars, while Deimos, at 12km in diameter, orbits farther out. Both moons have low albedo (are very dark) and irregular shapes, further emphasizing their asteroid-like nature.
The MMX mission's landing precision technology allows it to touch down on Phobos' surface within 100 meters of the target landing site. The landing gear and choice of landing site are crucial for securing the spacecraft to Phobos' surface due to its weak gravity.
The first cometary return sample obtained by humanity was by NASA's Stardust spacecraft in 2004. With MMX, Japan aims to add to this collection, potentially unintentionally returning samples of cometary material if the third theory is true.
Beyond scientific discovery, Phobos and Deimos have been considered possible human bases in the Mars system due to their tidal locking with Mars, allowing for easy communication with robotic missions on the Martian surface. The JAXA Martian Moons eXploration mission will also carry the Interplanetary Radiation Environment Monitor (IREM) to measure radiation levels in Martian orbit, which could pose a hazard to human health during future Mars exploration.
As JAXA prepares to launch the MMX mission, the excitement builds for what could be a significant step forward in understanding the origins of Mars' moons and the potential for future human exploration of the Martian system.
- The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, planned for a 2026 launch by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to unveil the mystery behind Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, believed to have originated from a shattered common parent body.
- Space science, environmental-science, and technology are all intertwined in the MMX mission, as it seeks to provide valuable insights into the Martian system's history, while also contributing to the study of space weather and space exploration.
- Astronauts might find Phobos and Deimos potentially suitable for future human bases in the Mars system, due to their tidal locking with Mars, a factor that could facilitate communication with robotic missions on the Martian surface.
- The MMX mission piggybacks on JAXA's preceding success in interplanetary missions, such as the Hayabusa2 mission, which collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu and returned them to Earth in 2020.
- In the broader context of space-and-astronomy, the MMX mission could confirm a third theory that Phobos and Deimos were once a single comet trapped in Mars' gravity, while also contributing to the collection of cometary return samples, previously achieved by NASA's Stardust spacecraft in 2004.
