Japan sent a small spacecraft into space on Tuesday. The launch took place from a big rocket site in Japan. The vehicle will travel far to a tiny moon called Phobos that circles the planet Mars. Its goal is to pick up a little bit of dust and bring it back to Earth.
The mission is called Mars Moons Exploration, or MMX. Scientists hope the sample will help them solve the mystery of how the two moons of Mars were made. The craft will fly close to Phobos, use a small arm to touch the surface, and collect the fine material. It will stay in a low orbit and then fire its engines to leave the moon’s weak gravity and start the long trip home. The journey back will take several years, and the craft will travel through deep space before it lands safely on Earth, where experts will analyze the material in laboratories.
If everything works, this will be the first time any country brings back a piece of a Martian moon. The world will watch the return, and the new data could change what we know about the history of our solar system.
