TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – In Tanegashima, Japan, a spacecraft was launched early Tuesday morning, October 20, at 04:41 Japan time, embarking on a five-year mission to explore Mars’ two small moons and retrieve samples. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sent the Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, known as MMX, into space atop an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. The mission aims to deploy a robotic lander and rover on Phobos.
Phobos, the larger and closer moon of Mars, is the primary target for MMX, which is anticipated to become the first spacecraft to orbit Phobos and collect surface samples. Additionally, it seeks to be the first mission to return material to Earth from the Martian system. JAXA is leading this international effort in partnership with NASA, the French space agency CNES, the German Aerospace Center DLR, and the European Space Agency. The launch proceeded as planned, with spacecraft separation confirmed later.
This expedition aims to shed light on the longstanding debate about the origins of Mars’ moons. One hypothesis, the giant impact theory, suggests they formed after a large body collided with Mars. The alternative, the capture hypothesis, proposes that they are asteroids from the outer Solar System captured by Mars’ gravity. JAXA states that remote sensing and detailed analysis of the samples returned will help clarify their origins.
International Collaboration Provides Rover and Scientific Instruments
CNES and DLR supplied a lightweight rover called IDEFIX, which weighs less than 30 kg. This rover will land on Phobos prior to the main spacecraft, testing how the surface responds to mechanical interaction and wheeled movement. NASA contributed a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer named MEGANE. CNES also assisted in developing an infrared spectrometer and offers expertise in flight dynamics. In total, the spacecraft carries seven scientific instruments.
ESA contributed deep-space communication hardware, including a transponder and power amplifier, and will support the mission through its Estrack ground station network. ESA project scientist Elliot Sefton-Nash praised Japan’s H3 launcher, calling it “fantastic” for delivering the spacecraft. ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell extended her congratulations to JAXA and the MMX team for the successful launch.
Sample Return Expected in 2031
The MMX spacecraft is projected to reach Mars approximately one year after launch, with ESA estimating an arrival next summer. It will observe Phobos from a quasi-satellite orbit and examine potential landing sites. The spacecraft will then land, collecting at least 10 grams of surface material using a coring sampler on a robotic arm capable of reaching depths greater than 2 cm, as well as a pneumatic sampler that uses pressurized gas to push soil into a container.
Following its surface operations on Phobos, MMX will perform a flyby of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Martian system for a return journey of roughly one year. The capsule carrying the samples is scheduled to land in Australia in 2031. The mission was approved for development in 2020, initially planned for a 2024 launch, but the schedule was later shifted to 2026.