Japan Launches MMX Mission to Sample Phobos

Japan successfully launched JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima on October 20, 2026. The mission is expected to reach the Martian system in 2027, survey Phobos and Deimos, and deploy a rover and lander to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos. The samples are scheduled to return to Earth in 2031; if successful, it would be the first sample return from a Martian moon. Scientists hope the samples will help determine whether the moons are captured asteroids or formed from debris after a major impact on Mars, and offer clues about the delivery of water and organic compounds in the inner Solar System.