TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – Exploration of Mars and its moons has gained momentum with Japan taking a significant step forward. A Japanese spacecraft has been dispatched on a mission to investigate the planet’s two small moons and bring back samples. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, known as MMX, aboard an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred just before dawn at 04:41 Japan time on Tuesday, October 20. The mission, planned to last five years, aims to land a robotic probe and a rover on Phobos.
Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two moons, is the primary focus of MMX. It is anticipated to be the first spacecraft to orbit Phobos and to collect samples from its surface. Additionally, MMX seeks to be the first mission to return material to Earth from the Mars system. JAXA is leading this effort in partnership with NASA, the French space agency CNES, the German Aerospace Center DLR, and the European Space Agency. The rocket launched successfully as scheduled, and spacecraft separation was subsequently confirmed.
The overarching goal of the mission is to shed light on the origins of Mars’ moons. One prevailing theory, the giant impact hypothesis, suggests they formed after a massive body collided with Mars. Conversely, the capture hypothesis proposes they are asteroids from the outer Solar System captured by Mars’ gravity. JAXA states that remote-sensing data and detailed analysis of the samples returned will help determine their true origin.
International Collaboration Provides Rover and Scientific Instruments
The small rover IDEFIX, weighing less than 30 kg, was supplied by CNES and DLR. It will land on Phobos ahead of the main spacecraft, testing how the surface reacts to mechanical interaction and evaluating wheeled mobility. NASA contributed a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer called MEGANE, while CNES assisted in developing an infrared spectrometer and offers expertise in flight dynamics. The spacecraft is equipped with a total of seven scientific instruments.
Deep space communication hardware, including a transponder and power amplifier, was provided by ESA. The agency will also support the mission through its Estrack ground station network. ESA project scientist Elliot Sefton-Nash praised Japan’s H3 launcher, saying it performed “fantastically” in sending the spacecraft on its journey. ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell congratulated JAXA and the MMX team on the successful launch.
Sample Collection Expected to Conclude in 2031
Following launch, MMX is projected to arrive at Mars approximately a year later, with ESA estimating a summer arrival next year. The spacecraft will orbit Phobos in a quasi-satellite orbit and examine potential landing sites. It will then descend to the surface, collecting at least 10 grams of material using a coring sampler on a robotic arm capable of reaching depths greater than 2 cm, and a pneumatic system that pushes soil into a container.
Post-sampling, MMX will conduct a flyby of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Mars system for a roughly one-year journey back to Earth. The return capsule is scheduled to deliver its collected samples in 2031, with recovery operations planned in Australia. The mission was approved in 2020, originally slated for launch in 2024, but the schedule was later shifted to 2026.