Japan launches probe to bring back material from the Mars moon Phobos
Japan has launched a spacecraft on a mission to the Martian moon Phobos that aims to bring material back to Earth.
AI illustrationJapan has launched a spacecraft on a mission to Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars, aiming to bring back material from it, news organisations reported.
The probe will reportedly touch down on Phobos and gather a minimum of 10 grams of its material. Scientists reportedly hope the samples will show how Mars and its two moons formed.
Over five decades NASA has reportedly put nine spacecraft on the Martian surface, and China reportedly landed there in 2021. No mission has yet brought samples back from Mars, reportedly, or from either of its moons.