日本南种子町，10月20日——日本于周二发射了一艘无人探测器，飞往火星卫星火卫一，此次任务旨在成为首个从这颗小型岩石天体采集样本并将其送回地球进行分析的任务。
MINAMITANE, Japan, Oct 20 - Japan launched an uncrewed spacecraft toward the Martian moon Phobos on Tuesday on a mission intended to become the first to collect samples from the small rocky body and return them to Earth for analysis.
日本宇宙航空研究开发机构的火星卫星探测探测器于黎明前搭载H3火箭，从日本西南部的种子岛宇宙中心升空。
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft lifted off aboard an H3 rocket before dawn from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.
该探测器预计将于2027年8月抵达火星，并于2031年将样本送回地球。日本宇宙航空研究开发机构希望此次任务能揭示火星两颗卫星的起源，并加深对太阳系早期阶段的理解。
The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in August 2027 and return samples to Earth in 2031. JAXA hopes the mission will shed light on the origin of the two moons of Mars and deepen the understanding of our solar system's early stages.
火卫一是火星两颗卫星中较大的一颗，每天绕火星运行三圈。火卫一形状不规则，尺寸约为27公里×22公里×18公里（17英里×14英里×11英里），在距火星表面约6000公里（3700英里）的轨道上运行。
Phobos, the larger of the two Martian moons, orbits the planet three times a day. Phobos has an irregular shape with dimensions of about 27 km by 22 km by 18 km (17 miles by 14 miles by 11 miles), and orbits roughly 6,000 km (3,700 miles) above the Martian surface.
日本宇宙航空研究开发机构的目标是从其表面采集至少10克物质，并将其送回地球进行分析。
JAXA aims to collect at least 10 grammes of material from its surface and return it to Earth for analysis.
此次发射是日本H3火箭的首次行星际任务。这枚日本旗舰运载火箭在2023年的首飞中遭遇了一次备受关注的失败，当时其第二级发动机未能点火，但此后完成了一系列基本成功的发射。
The launch marked the first interplanetary mission for Japan's H3 rocket. The country's flagship launcher experienced a high-profile failure on its inaugural flight in 2023 when its second-stage engine failed to ignite, but has since completed a series of mostly successful launches.