Mars lake was discovered using the MARSIS radar on board the "Mars Express" orbiter, and the profiles were collected between May 2012 and December 2015. The lake is centered at 193°E, 81°S, a flat area that does not exhibit any peculiar topographic characteristics. It is mostly surrounded by higher ground except on its eastern side, where there is a depression. Mars has two relatively small (compared to Earth's) natural moons, Phobos (about in diameter) and Deimos (about in diameter), which orbit close to the planet. Asteroid capture is a long-favored theory, but their origin remains uncertain. Both satellites were discovered in
Mars Terahertz Microsatellite Wave Instrument) on board the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, which the institute jointly developed with ESA and DLR (German Aerospace Center). Unlike the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, NICT's parent agency is the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). MIC formally approved the Mars Terahertz Microsatellite in early 2017. The preliminary lander's dimensions are a 50 cm cube, and may have a mass of including propellant. Its landing system is proposed to employ an inflatable aeroshell decelerator, and an airbag. Mars Terahertz Microsatellite The Mars