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Japan launches MMX probe to bring back soil from Mars moon Phobos
In brief
Japan’s space agency JAXA launched its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 a.m. Japan time on Oct. 20, 2026 (3:41 p.m. EDT on Oct. 19). JAXA said the probe separated from the rocket about 71 minutes after liftoff and entered its planned orbit, starting the first attempt to bring soil home from one of Mars’ moons.
What MMX will do
The spacecraft is heading for Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two small moons. Kyodo News reported that MMX should reach orbit around Mars in August 2027. A small rover built by French and German teams will land on Phobos first, and the main spacecraft will then try to touch down twice to collect rock and sand. It will also study the second moon, Deimos, before leaving Mars in November 2030. A capsule with the samples is due back on Earth in July 2031, and JAXA plans to recover it in Australia.
Why scientists care
Nobody knows for sure how Phobos and Deimos formed. One idea is that they are debris from a giant impact on Mars. Another is that they are asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity. JAXA says samples analysed in labs on Earth should help settle the question and show how water and organic material moved around the early solar system.
A long road to launch
The launch had been planned for 2024 but slipped after the first H3 flight failed in 2023, according to Kyodo. This flight used the most powerful version of the rocket, with two main engines and four boosters. The 4,480-kilogram probe is a joint effort led by JAXA with NASA, the French and German space agencies CNES and DLR, and the European Space Agency, which supplies deep-space communication equipment and ground stations.
VSH take: Japan has done this kind of thing before: its Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 probes brought back asteroid samples. MMX travels much farther from home, and is the first attempt to bring samples back from the Mars system. Explore the planets on our solar system explorer or follow the space station live with the ISS tracker.
Why it matters
MMX is the first mission designed to return samples from the Mars system. Its findings could explain where Mars’ moons came from and help plan future human missions, since JAXA notes the Martian moons are seen as possible staging points for crewed trips to Mars.
People also ask
When will MMX reach Mars?
Kyodo News reports the spacecraft is scheduled to enter orbit around Mars in August 2027.
When will the Phobos samples come back to Earth?
The return capsule is planned to reach Earth in July 2031, with recovery in Australia, according to JAXA and Kyodo News.
Related free tools: solar-system-explorer, iss-tracker
Sources
- JAXA: Launch result of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.10
- Kyodo News: Japan successfully launches probe on world’s 1st Martian moon sample mission
- European Space Agency: MMX lifts off to Mars’s moon Phobos
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