Tera-hertz Explorer

Tera-hertz Explorer
Mission typeScience, reconnaissance
OperatorNICT
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerNICT & University of Tokyo
Start of mission
Launch datemid 2020s (as a secondary payload of
another flight to Mars)
RocketTo be announced
Mars lander
Landing siteIsidis Planitia[1]
Instruments
terahertz sensor

The Tera-hertz Explorer (TEREX)[1] mission is a planned orbiter and lander that will be carrying a terahertz sensor to the surface of Mars to measure the oxygen isotope ratios of various molecules in the Martian atmosphere.[2] The objective of the mission is to understand the chain of chemical reactions that resupply the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.[2]

The lander, TEREX-1, was originally supposed to launch as a piggyback with another payload during the July 2020 Mars launch window,[3] but this has subsequently been delayed to 2022[1] and then to the mid 2020s.[4] As of September 2017, no official launch arrangement with a primary mission had yet been reached.[5] The spacecraft will orbit Mars for a short while before landing the instrument on the surface.[2][6] A dedicated orbiter, TEREX-2, was planned for launch in 2024. It will conduct a global survey of the Martian atmosphere and surface for water and oxygen levels.[1]

The mission is being developed by Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and the University of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL).[7] The project is based on a past proposal named FIRE (Far InfraRed Experiment), which was a sensor intended for JAXA's cancelled MELOS Mars orbiter.[7]

If successful, it will be Japan's first successful Mars spacecraft since the ill-fated Nozomi mission.

  1. ^ a b c d Kasai, Yasuko (13 June 2018). "Tera-hertz Explorer, TEREX, Mission" (PDF). University of Tsukuba. NICT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Mars Micro-Satellite for Terahertz Remote Sensing. Larsson, Richard; Kasai, Yasko; Kuroda, Takeshi; Maezawa, Hiroyuki; Manabe, Takeshi; Nishibori, Toshiyuki; Nakasuka, Shinichi; Wachi, Akifumi; Sagawa, Hideo. 19th EGU General Assembly, EGU2017, proceedings from the conference held 23–28 April 2017 in Vienna, Austria., p.18645. Published by the Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System.
  3. ^ Yamazaki, Keisuke (March 27, 2017). "Japan planning 2020 mission to put satellite in Martian orbit". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
  4. ^ Takeshi Kuroda, Yasuko Kasai, Shinichi Nakasuka, Hiroyuki Maezawa, Takayoshi Yamada, Ryohei Takahashi: TEREX-1: A micro-satellite terahertz lander for the exploration of water/oxygen resources on Mars. 43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Abstract B0.5-0006-21 (oral), id.223, January 2021.
  5. ^ "総務省、来年度から火星のテラヘルツ波を調査 酸素ある？生命いる？". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 3 September 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  6. ^ Japanese research team to develop microsized Mars probe. Yomiuri Shimbun, Asia News Network. 9 January 2017.
  7. ^ a b "惑星資源探査 ⼩型テラヘルツ探査機" (PDF) (in Japanese). National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-13.