Japanese scientists are preparing the uncrewed Martian Moons eXploration, or MMX, mission to collect samples from a moon of Mars. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Tanegashima Space Center within the next few months. The mission could help investigate the formation of the solar system and the origins of life on Earth, while also potentially helping pave the way for future human travel to Mars.

The spacecraft was unveiled to media on Thursday and is expected to remain in Mars orbit for about three years. During that period, it will attempt to land on Phobos and collect at least 10 grams of material from its surface. A rover named Idefix, after the dog in the French comic character Asterix, will examine the moon's surface at the same time.

MMX will also observe Deimos, Mars's other moon, but will not land there. A return capsule is then expected to head for Earth and land in Australia around 2031. The report notes Japan's prior sample-return experience: JAXA's uncrewed Hayabusa-2 returned 5.4 grams of rock and dust collected from an asteroid in 2020.