Japan aims to bring back soil samples from Mars moon by 2029
Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III – Space; Science and Tech
In news: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to launch an explorer in 2024 to land on Phobos, a Martian moon, to collect 10 grams of soil and bring it back to Earth in 2029 (ahead of the United States and China)
Key details
Soil on Phobos is likely to be a mixture of material from the moon itself and material from Mars that was spread by sandstorms.
Significance: Collecting samples from multiple locations on Phobos could provide a greater chance of obtaining possible traces of life from Mars.
Scientists also hope to learn about the evolution of the Martian biosphere.
Do you know?
NASA’s Perseverance rover has landed in a Mars crater where it is to collect 31 samples that are to be returned to Earth with help from the European Space Agency as early as 2031.
