NASA to cooperate with JAXA’s project

September 23, 2017

TOKYO- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Friday that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has agreed to cooperate with JAXA's Martian moon exploration project.

Under the agreement, JAXA will receive observation equipment from NASA for the world's first project to send a spacecraft to bring back samples from Phobos, a Martian satellite. JAXA aims to launch the spacecraft in fiscal 2024.

Specifically, NASA will develop and supply a gamma-ray and neuron spectrometer to be used to decide the best location to recover samples and search for the possible existence of water.

NASA also agreed to provide JAXA with an X-ray detection device to be mounted on a replacement for the failed "Hitomi" X-ray astronomy satellite and observe solar activities jointly with the Japanese agency. Jiji Press