Tanegashima Space Center (Japan) (AFP) – At the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, scientists are readying a mission to the moons of Mars, where they hope to collect samples that could unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth. The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), is set to blast off in the coming months, before orbiting Mars for around three years. During this time, a lander will collect sample material from the surface of Phobos, before returning to Earth in 2031. The mission is a collaboration between Japan’s space agency JAXA and counterparts from France and Germany, as well as NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and a score of universities and tech firms.
