The first in history mission to Mars satellite was threatened: a problem in a rocket launcher (photo)

Japan can postpone the launch of a spacecraft to Phobos due to H3 missile problems. The historical mission of Japan with the study of Mars The Fobos and Deimos Satellites, during which the rock samples from the surface of the first satellite will be collected for the first time, was at risk. The mission can be transferred to new dates because the new Japanese H3 missile launcher has not yet been successful.

In order for the MMX mission to take place on time, it is necessary to successfully launch a launch vehicle at the beginning of next year, Space writes. In focus. Technology has appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe not to miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! The Japanese Aerosmic Research Agency (Jaxa) planned for September 2024, launching the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) spacecraft to Phobos and Damos - Mars satellites.

The purpose of this mission is to study these satellites and the first in history to collect samples of local breed from the surface of Phobos, a larger satellite of the red planet. The device must be sent next year because Mars will be the best to the ground to make the shortest flight. The next time this possibility will only fall in 2 years. According to the plan, after launching into space on board the H3 rocket launcher, the MMX unit should go into orbit around Mars in August 2025.

After that, the probe will have to land on Phobos and collect at least 10 grams of samples. After that, MMX must fly the Dymos, and then in 2029 the capsule with samples will be delivered to the ground. But in March this year, the new Japanese Japanese rocket launcher H3 was not able to successfully execute the first flight into space and destroyed it due to problems that arose, which was already written in detail.

In November, Jaxa representatives reported that the second attempt to fly into space should take place at the end of March 2024. If everything is successful, then scientists will be able to say exactly whether the MMX mission will be fulfilled. If there are problems with a launch-carrier again, then the flight of the Japanese apparatus to Phobos and Damos can be delayed by the end of 2026.

But Japanese scientists do not want to put off for such a long time the historical Martian mission is launched, so the option of using another rocket may be considered. It is unknown to date whether Jaxa plans to use, for example, Falcon Heavy missiles from SpaceX to launch MMX in case of failure with H3 missile.

This mission will help determine whether Phobos and Daimos are asteroids that were captured by Mars gravity, whether they appeared as a result of the collision of a large asteroid with the red planet surface. By the way, there will be a small rover on board MMX, which will travel on a journey by the surface of Phobos. As focus has already wrote, in the spring of this year, scientists first received detailed images of Deimos, which Al-Amal made from 100 km.