Japan’s space agency has sent a spacecraft on a mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars’s two small moons. The Mars Moons Exploration mission aims to gather material that will help scientists understand how the Martian moons formed. If successful, this will mark the first time samples from Mars or its moons have been returned to Earth for laboratory analysis.
The spacecraft is expected to reach Phobos in August 2027. Once there, it will deploy a small rover to explore the terrain and identify a suitable landing site, a challenging task given Phobos’s minimal gravity and proximity to Mars’s much stronger gravitational pull. The main spacecraft will then land and use robotic arms and samplers to collect approximately 10 grams of moon dust, which will be sealed in a capsule for return to Earth.
The collected material is anticipated to arrive in the Woomera desert of South Australia in 2031. Scientists hope the sample will resolve competing theories about the moons’ origins: whether they formed from debris created by an ancient impact on Mars, or whether they are asteroids that were captured by the planet’s gravity. Additionally, researchers note that dust from Mars itself may have become embedded in Phobos through impacts, potentially providing direct information about the Red Planet’s composition and history.
This mission represents a significant scientific undertaking in an era of increased international space exploration. China is planning its own Mars sampling mission, set to launch in 2028 and return samples in 2031. Meanwhile, a joint NASA and ESA mission to retrieve samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover was cancelled after Congressional funding was halted. Scientists emphasize the importance of pristine samples directly collected from Mars and its moons, as meteorite fragments that naturally reach Earth become contaminated upon arrival.
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