What Are Mars’ Moons Really Made Of? Japan’s MMX Mission Will Find Out

Japan’s MMX mission is preparing to land on Mars’ moon Phobos, collect samples, and study Deimos to uncover whether the moons are captured asteroids or remnants of a massive impact.

The mission could reveal clues about the delivery of water and organic materials to early Earth while testing technologies for future Mars exploration. With China’s Tianwen-3 pursuing a similar sample-return goal, a new race to bring Martian material back to Earth is underway.

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