Japan's MMX mission prepares to launch a spacecraft to collect and return surface samples from Mars moon Phobos.

Japan is preparing to launch an ambitious spacecraft designed to become the first to return to Earth from Mars orbit, carrying pristine material from the Red Planet system. The Martian Moons eXploration mission, or MMX, aims to uncover the origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos and shed light on early solar system formation.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. After a ten-month transit, the probe will spend three years studying Phobos, deploying a microwave-sized rover named IDEFIX, and performing two landing attempts to collect at least 10 grams of surface samples using corer and pneumatic mechanisms.

Following flybys of Deimos, the return module will head back to Earth, targeting a 2031 parachute landing in Australia. Scientists hope the mission will resolve a major debate over whether Phobos and Deimos are captured primitive asteroids or debris blasted into space by a massive ancient impact with Mars.

The spacecraft carries international scientific instruments, including NASA’s MEGANE gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, to analyze surface composition.

NASA is contributing about $87 million and various hardware components to the JAXA-led effort.

In return, the agency will receive at least 15 percent of the returned samples for