Japan launches mission to return samples from Mars

Japan launched an uncrewed spacecraft toward the Martian moon Phobos on Tuesday on a mission intended to become the first to collect samples from the small rocky body and return them to Earth for analysis.



The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft lifted off aboard an H3 rocket before dawn from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.



The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in August 2027 and return samples to Earth in 2031.



JAXA hopes the mission will shed light on the origin of the two moons of Mars and deepen the understanding of our solar system's early stages.



The launch marked the first interplanetary mission for Japan's H3 rocket.



The country's flagship launcher experienced a high-profile failure on its inaugural flight in 2023 when its second-stage engine failed to ignite, but has since completed a series of mostly successful launches.