Japan's JAXA to launch historic Phobos sample-return probe in October
JAXA announced that the MMX spacecraft will launch on Oct. 20 to collect rock and sand from Phobos and bring the material back to Earth by fiscal 2031.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency disclosed that its Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission will lift off on Oct. 20 using H3 rocket No. 10 from the Tanegashima Space Center. The 4,480-kilogram spacecraft, 5.3 m tall, will travel to Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons, where a rover built by French and German teams will first land. The probe will then attempt two separate landings of its own to collect more than 10 g of sand and rock.
After orbiting Mars roughly a year after launch, the vehicle will return to Earth, releasing a sample capsule for retrieval in Australia, with the entire mission expected to conclude in fiscal 2031. The launch was delayed from 2024 following a failed maiden flight of the H3 rocket. MMX is a joint international venture intended to uncover the origins of Mars’ moons and develop technologies for future deep-space exploration.
Why it matters
It will be the first mission to return material from a Martian moon, advancing planetary science and sample-return capabilities.
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