Japan launches probe to sample Mars moon Phobos — SkimNews
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- Japan launched a spacecraft on a mission to Mars, with the objective of collecting samples from the planet's moon Phobos and bringing a piece of the Martian moon back to Earth.
- The probe is headed to Mars's moons in what outlets including the BBC and Ars Technica frame as a sample-return mission to Phobos.
Why it matters: The mission marks Japan's latest deep-space endeavor, aiming to return physical material from Phobos — a destination no other nation has successfully sampled — and positioning JAXA among a small group of agencies executing interplanetary sample returns.
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