Japan launches a mission to collect samples from a moon of Mars

Updated 2026-10-22 · told from many outlets at once

Japan launched a spacecraft to collect samples from Mars's moon Phobos, marking the first mission to a Martian moon. The probe launched from Tanegashima and is set to reach the Martian region in August 2027.

• Japan launched an international space mission to collect sand and rock from a Martian moon.
• The mission aims to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos.
• Japanese scientists are preparing a mission to Mars's moons.
• The spacecraft will arrive in the Martian region around August 2027.
• The MMX mission plans to bring samples from Phobos to Earth in 2031.
• The giant impact hypothesis suggests Martian moons formed after a celestial body collided with Mars.
• The H3 rocket carrying the MMX probe launched from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
• MMX is scheduled to enter orbit around Mars in August 2027.
• The rocket carried the Martian Moons eXploration probe.
• The mission is a five-year expedition.
• One mission objective is to determine how Phobos and Deimos formed.
• The MMX probe is a collaboration with US and European space agencies.
• Phobos is about 20km across.
• The Japanese space agency indicated MMX separated from the H3 rocket.
• Phobos and Deimos are the only two natural satellites of Mars.
• The mission, named MMX, has a value of $578 million.
• JAXA officials stated material from Mars is expected to be about 0.1 percent of collected Phobos material.
• The MMX mission will deploy the German-French rover IDEFIX to explore the surface.

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