Phobos-Soil space project: A new stage of the Russian planetary program

The Phobos-Soil project, based on a new generation of spacecraft, is aimed at the study of Phobos, one of the Martian moons. The main goal of the project is to bring soil samples from the surface of Phobos to the Earth for a scrutinized analysis of the relic matter collected on one of the Solar System’s minor bodies. The project is considered to be a step in the long-scale extensive quest for data on planets, comets, asteroids, and solving a vast number of other theoretical and applied problems.