Japan’s space agency JAXA has launched the Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle No. 10 from Tanegashima Space Center, beginning a mission to collect and return the first samples from Mars’s moon Phobos. Liftoff took place at 04:41 Japan Standard Time on 20 October, with MMX separating from the rocket about 71 minutes later and entering its planned trajectory.
JAXA leads the international mission with NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR and the European Space Agency. MMX is scheduled to reach the vicinity of Mars in August 2027 and begin operations around Phobos the following month.
A 25-kilogram rover, Idefix, developed by CNES and DLR, is due to deploy in early 2029 to survey the moon’s surface and help assess landing conditions. JAXA plans two soft landings in 2030, using two sampling systems to collect more than 10 grams of material.
The return capsule is scheduled to land in Australia in 2031. Analysis of the samples could help determine whether Phobos formed from material ejected by an impact on Mars or is a captured asteroid. The mission will also test navigation, landing, sampling and sample-return technologies for future exploration of the Martian system.