Japan’s 8K cameras will let us see Mars and its moons in more detail than ever before

Exploring the Martian surface in 4K is cool, but The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is about to raise it to an even higher level. Teaming up with broadcaster NHK, JAXA is developing 4K and 8K cameras that will be sent to Mars and take photos of its surface, but also explore its moons Phobos and Deimos.

JAXA will use the cameras in the upcoming Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission. They will be a part of the MMX spacecraft that should be launched in 2024. Probably needless to say, but this will be the first time ever that we get 8K ultra-high-definition images of Mars and its moons are taken at close proximity. They will be a combination of flight data of the MMX spacecraft and the images taken by the Super Hi-Vision Camera, according to JAXA.

The aim of this mission is not only to bring us super-detailed photos of the Red Planet, of course. It will primarily help scientists to clarify “the origin of the Martian moons and the evolutionary process of the Martian system,” JAXA explains. In addition to taking photos, the spacecraft will also land on Phobos to collect samples from its surface and return them to Earth for an examination.

[via Engadget]