Japan aims for the moons of Mars

Japan is preparing to launch its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, in a bid to study the origins of the Solar System and possibly the ingredients of life on Earth. The spacecraft will orbit Mars for about three years, land on Phobos and return samples to Earth in 2031.

Scientists hope the samples will help solve the long-standing mystery of how Phobos formed. Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, project manager, Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)  said "It's a sample return mission, so our goal is to get the sample back from the Phobos to Earth, and that will be in 2031." A rival Chinese mission is also targeting Mars’ moons and could return samples earlier. (2:57-03:05 SOUNDBITE 2)