TOKYO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japan launched an H3 rocket carrying a spacecraft to explore a moon of Mars early Tuesday, beginning a five-year sample-return mission, according to the country's space agency.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 rocket No. 10 at 4:41 a.m. local time from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.

The flagship rocket released the spacecraft approximately 71 minutes after liftoff, placing it onto a trajectory toward Mars.

The MMX spacecraft is designed to land on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars' two moons, collect at least 10 grams of surface material and return the samples to Earth, according to JAXA.

The spacecraft is expected to reach the Martian system in 2027 and conduct detailed observations of Phobos, including from a quasi-satellite orbit. It will also observe Deimos, Mars' other moon, during the mission.

The mission includes deploying a small rover named Idefix to explore Phobos' surface and support the landing and sampling operations.

JAXA aims to return the samples to Earth in 2031, potentially providing new insights into the origin of Mars' moons and the evolution of the Martian system.