Japan Launches MMX Mission to Explore Mars’ Moons
Japan has launched a spacecraft mission to Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, with the goal of exploring them and returning soil samples to Earth. Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the mission, named MMX, will attempt to land…
Biloxi Gulfport, MS, October 24, 2026 —
Japan has launched the MMX mission to explore Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and bring soil samples back to Earth. The mission is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
MMX is planned to attempt a landing on Phobos with both a rover and a lander. The equipment is intended to collect material from the moon for return to Earth. The samples are expected back by 2031, according to the mission summary.
The mission’s stated scope includes exploration of both Phobos and Deimos, while the planned landing and sample collection are focused on Phobos. The summary does not provide details about the spacecraft’s launch date or location, the mission’s route, or the instruments it will use to study the moons.
No samples from Mars or either of its moons have previously been returned to Earth, making the planned return a central feature of the mission. The summary does not specify how much material MMX aims to collect or describe the process for transporting the samples back.
Further details about the mission’s schedule beyond the expected sample return in 2031, including milestones for the rover and lander, were not provided. The mission’s stated objectives are to explore the two moons and return collected material from Phobos to Earth.
Story summarized from the original created by Associated Press on www.wxxv25.com, see more information here.
