00:00Japan launched its Martian Moons Exploration Mission, or MMX, targeting 10 grams from Mars.
00:06Scientists will study samples for clues to how Mars moons formed.
00:10The rocket launched flawlessly from Tanegashima Space Center early Tuesday, October 20, local time.
00:17Spacecraft separation followed 1 hour and 11 minutes after liftoff.
00:21MMX is due at Mars in August 2027.
00:24Nozomi, Japan's previous Mars spacecraft, failed to enter orbit.
00:30Its mission ended in 2003.
00:32Sampling tools will collect material from both the surface and below it.
00:36NASA's McGaigne, an instrument built by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, accompanies the sampling tools.
00:43Lawrence works at that laboratory.
00:45He described Phobos' and Deimos' origins as unknown.
00:49Japanese and international scientists will receive one gram immediately.
00:53Remaining samples are destined for the Extraterrestrial Sample Curation Center in Sagamahara, Japan.
00:58The mission aims to return a 10-gram sample to Earth in 2031.
01:03Disclosure.
01:04This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.
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