Japan is to launch a world-first mission to bring back soil from Mars moon Phobos after repeated Russian failures

The Martian Moons eXploration probe is scheduled to lift off on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center at 4.41am Japan time on Tuesday. Its goal is to touch down and collect a minimum of 10 grams of subsurface material from at least two centimetres deep. The sample capsule is expected to return in 2031. The mission reportedly carries a price tag of more than 55 billion yen.

Project manager Yasuhiro Kawakatsu describes the moons as 'the most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system'.

JAXA is seeking to determine whether Phobos could function as a staging point for a crewed Mars mission in the future.

The moons Phobos and Deimos take their names from the Greek gods of fear and terror.