The historical mission began towards the moons of Mars

The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe, being developed through the cooperation of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the French Space Agency (CNES), NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), can also contribute to preparing for future human space missions. The MMX, along with two French-developed instruments, a vehicle and a spectrometer, was launched on Tuesday (local time) at 4:41 PM from the Tanegashima space center in Japan aboard an H3 type rocket. More than an hour after the launch, JAXA reported that the probe successfully separated from its carrier rocket and began its journey to Mars. The probe is expected to reach the Mars vicinity in August 2027, where it will orbit Mars' larger moon, Phobos, for three years. It will then land and collect at least 10 grams of surface sample. Before landing, the French-German Idefix lunar lander, nicknamed the Asterix alien dog, will launch on a reconnaissance flight to the surface of Phobos. This will be the first spacecraft to enter the Martian moon. Its task is to investigate the surface and prepare for the probe's safe landing. Using the MIRS spectrometer developed by CNES and the Paris Observatory (PSL), researchers will be able to select the most suitable locations for sample collection on the surface of Phobos – explains Antonella Barucci, an Italian astronomer and one of the program's scientific leaders. "Sample collection from Phobos will be the first of its kind in the world," emphasizes Kavakacu Jaszuhiro, the director of the MMX project, of the AFP French news agency. JAXA stated that the mission will also examine whether Phobos can be used as a natural space station. This is important for understanding the round trips to Mars, which could be an important step for humans to eventually reach Mars and discover the planet. Before returning to Earth, the probe will also investigate Mars' other moon, Deimos, without landing on its surface. JAXA hopes that the mission will help understand how Mars and its two moons evolved. It can also provide important information for understanding the formation of the Solar System. If you want to know similar things in the future, like the HVG Tech section that reports scientific discoveries, like the Facebook page.