Japan Mars moon mission

Japan launches Mars moon sample-return mission

Japan launched a spacecraft on Tuesday on a five-year mission to explore Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos and return samples to Earth for the first time. The $578 million project aims to deliver dust, soil and rocks in 2031. Five space agencies have joined forces for the mission, which will attempt to land a robotic prospector and rover on Phobos, the larger of the two moons.