A Japanese spacecraft was on its way to one of Mars's moons on Tuesday on a world-first mission to retrieve samples, potentially helping unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth.
\n\nThe flagship H3 rocket carrying the unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe blasted off into a pitch-black sky from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 am (1941 GMT Monday), according to a live stream broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
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\n\nOver an hour later, JAXA announced via the live broadcast that the probe had successfully separated from the H3 and was "beginning its journey towards the Martian system".
\n\n"I'd dreamt of this day, so I'm incredibly happy," said JAXA scientist Mari Aida. "Right now I feel really relieved."
\n\nFollowing the separation, JAXA said it received signals from the spacecraft as expected, confirming it was operating normally.
\n\nDespite the early hour in Japan, thousands of people tuned into the live stream, posting messages of encouragement.
\n\nThe spacecraft is due to arrive near Mars around August next year, where it will orbit one of its moons, Phobos.
\n\nA French-German rover dubbed IDEFIX …
Original source: https://www.cnbctv18.com/technology/
