Japan to bring Phobos soil to Earth
Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon
Sunday, 18 October 2026
Warm-up
- What do you know about Mars and its moons?
- Would you like to travel to space? Why or why not?
- How can space missions help life on Earth?
Vocabulary
- mission
- A planned trip with a clear goal
- launch
- To send a rocket or spacecraft into space
- rocket
- A vehicle that flies into space using powerful engines
- sample
- A small piece taken to study and test
- orbit
- To move around a planet or star in a path
- rover
- A small robot vehicle that moves on a moon or planet
- analyse
- To study something carefully to learn from it
- international
- Involving more than one country
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishJapan’s space agency Jaxa is preparing the MMX mission to bring samples from Phobos, a small moon of Mars. The spacecraft will launch on an H3 rocket. The whole mission is expected to take five years. If scientists analyse the soil, they get clues about how Phobos and its sister moon, Deimos, formed. It may also give hints about the origins of life in our solar system.
The plan is to reach Mars around August 2027. Then the craft will orbit and study Phobos for about three years. After that, it will collect samples and return to Earth in 2031.
Phobos is about 27 km wide. It orbits about 6,000 km from Mars and circles the planet three times a day. The mission is international. Partners include Nasa and European teams. A small rover from France and Germany will land on Phobos to help choose places to collect soil.
Comprehension
- What is the main goal of the MMX mission?
- Which rocket will carry the spacecraft?
- When is the spacecraft planned to reach Mars?
- How long will the mission study Phobos before returning?
- Which countries built the small rover for Phobos?
Grammar focus
Zero conditional
Use If + present simple, present simple for facts and general results. Form: If + base verb, result in present simple. (Example 2 constructed.)
- If scientists analyse the soil, they get clues.
- If the rover finds ice, teams analyse it.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the present simple to make the zero conditional.
- If dust is loose, the rover (slip) ___ a little.
- If rocks are sharp, teams (change) ___ the route.
- If sensors fail, engineers (check) ___ the system.
- If skies are clear, the rocket (launch) ___ safely.
- If samples are heavy, robots (move) ___ slowly.
Discussion
- Why do countries cooperate on space missions?
- What questions would you ask if you met a space scientist?
- Which part of this mission sounds most difficult? Why?
- Would you visit Mars or a moon first? Give one reason.
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