NASA announced it has partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. More specifically, the mission will see the team visit Phobos and Deimos, land on the surface of Phobos, and collect surface samples.
According to Space.com, the partnership, which NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa signed at the 38th Space Symposium, calls for NASA to deliver two experiments on the MMX mission when the spacecraft launches to the Red Planet in 2024.
Under the memorandum of understanding, NASA will provide an experiment called the Mars-Moon Exploration with Gamma and Neutron Rays (MEGANE) and a Pneumatic Sampler for the MMX spacecraft (P-Sampler). The NASA agreement follows an April 11 exchange of notes between the Japanese and US governments to lay the groundwork for a joint Mars mission.
“We have great partners at JAXA and they are leading this ambitious mission, bringing back the first sample of Mars’ moon Phobos,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a video message on Twitter on April 16, ahead of signing the agreement.
“We have had a long history in outer space together and in this golden age of exploration, the United States and Japan will definitely continue to work together. Together, we will deepen our knowledge of the solar system. We will go to unlock the mysteries of the universe.”
