the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth. The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe will lift off aboard the flagship H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 am local time, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). If successful, the spacecraft will arrive near Mars around August next year, where it will orbit Phobos, one of the Red Planet's two moons. It will later land on Phobos and collect at least 10 grams of material from the surface during its planned three years in the vicinity of Mars.

Described as the first round trip to the Martian region, the mission is a collaboration with US and European space agencies, as well as numerous universities and tech companies. Beyond its scientific goals, those involved hope it will help lay the groundwork for eventual human exploration. At the heart of the mission is a fundamental mystery: how Mars and its two moons formed, a key piece in working out how the Solar System was born. Scientists are currently divided between two theories. The "giant impact" hypothesis suggests the moons formed after a celestial body collided with Mars, while the "capture" hypothesis postulates that they are asteroids pulled in by Mars's gravity. Determining which theory is correct will help reveal "how a habitable environment for life might have arisen on the terrestrial planets", JAXA said, referring to the four rocky worlds closest to the Sun - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The mission will also explore the possibility of using Phobos as a "natural space station" by establishing the requirements for a round trip - something described as essential for crewed Mars exploration. It will additionally observe the planet's other moon, Deimos, although it will not land on it. The launch comes amid an intensifying international race to return rock samples from Mars. NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been roaming Mars since 2021, has already collected samples, but the return mission was effectively cancelled by the administration of President Donald Trump following a vote by Congress in January. China's Tianwen-3 spacecraft, meanwhile, is scheduled for launch around 2028 and hopes to return Mars samples to Earth as early as 2031 - potentially before the Japanese mission's return. (Bssnews)