Japan-Led MMX Mission to Return Phobos Samples

Japan’s JAXA-led uncrewed Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, with NASA and European partners contributing, is scheduled to launch aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima on October 19, 2026. It is expected to reach Mars in 2027, land on Phobos in 2028, study the moon for about three years, deploy a French-German rover, and survey Deimos during flybys. MMX plans to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos and return it to Earth in 2031, potentially making it the first mission to bring back samples from the Martian system. Researchers hope the samples will help determine whether Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids or debris from an impact on Mars, and inform understanding of the early Solar System and future human exploration.