‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’: Japan launches historic mission to collect rocks from Mars’s moon Phobos

The Guardian UK Monday 19 October 2026, 23:37 UTC By Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies 1 min read

Key Points

Scientists hope Martian material collected will shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on EarthJapan has successfully launched a spacecraft on an unprecedented mission to bring back samples from one of Mars’s moons that scientists hope will shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on Earth. The Martian ⁠Moons Exploration (MMX) spacecraft, propelled by Japan’s flagship H3 rocket, lifted off before dawn from Tanegashima island in the country’s far south-west, the...

Scientists hope Martian material collected will shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on Earth

Japan has successfully launched a spacecraft on an unprecedented mission to bring back samples from one of Mars’s moons that scientists hope will shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on Earth.

The Martian ⁠Moons Exploration (MMX) spacecraft, propelled by Japan’s flagship H3 rocket, lifted off before dawn from Tanegashima island in the country’s far south-west, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) said.

Japan (LOCATION) Mars (LOCATION) Phobos Scientists (ORG) Martian (ORG) EarthJapan (ORG) Earth (LOCATION) Tanegashima island (LOCATION) the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ORG) Jaxa (PERSON)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’: Japan launches historic mission to collect rocks from Mars’s moon Phobos

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