Science & SpaceNews
Japan's MMX spacecraft is bound for Mars, with a one-shot Phobos landing ahead
JAXA's $578 million spacecraft separated cleanly from its H3 rocket and aims to return at least 10 grams of Phobos material by 2031.
What the reporting says
Ars Technica reports that Japan's space agency, JAXA, launched its Martian Moons eXploration mission, MMX, from the Tanegashima Space Center at 3:41 pm Eastern time on Monday, which was 4:41 am Tuesday in Japan. The spacecraft separated from its H3 rocket about 71 minutes later, and project manager Yasuhiro Kawakatsu described it as in very stable condition. Wired reports that the plan is to collect at least 10 grams from Phobos using two sampling methods and return them by 2031. The mission costs $578 million and is due to reach Mars next August.
Read the original reporting
Ars Technica
Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon PhobosMy Read
Commentary: opinion, not reporting.
This sequencing makes sense. So the spacecraft will survey Phobos with its instruments first, as Wired reports it will deploy a rover ahead of landing to explore the terrain. The MEGANE instrument on the probe measures landing area's elemental makeup, as scientists say they know almost nothing about that today. Idea is to learn what you can cheaply before the irreversible step. The plan appears to include two terrain sampling methods adding redundancy. The landing is still a one-shot event on a surface we know very little about.
The next real test comes after arrival, when the spacecraft moves close to Phobos. As Ars reports we have to wait until 2029 for the climax with up to two landing attempts. Until then, early orbital and composition data will show whether the plan is likely to survive contact with a very unfamiliar "moon".
Updates
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Discussion
Is a one-attempt landing on an unfamiliar moon an acceptable risk for a sample-return mission?
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