TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – A spacecraft aiming to explore Mars’ enigmatic moons and bring back samples has been launched by Japan. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency deployed the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe into space using an H3 rocket launched from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred early Tuesday morning, October 20, at 04:41 local time. The mission involves collaboration among five space agencies over a five-year period.
The primary goal of MMX is to land a robotic prospecting device and a rover on Phobos, the larger and nearer of Mars’ two small moons. If the operation succeeds, it will mark the first time a spacecraft has orbited Phobos, collected surface samples, and returned them to Earth. JAXA is leading the initiative, with partners including NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency. The separation of the spacecraft from the rocket was confirmed following launch.
Researchers hope the mission will clarify how Phobos and Deimos originated and came to orbit Mars. The impact hypothesis suggests that the moons formed after a large body collided with Mars, while the capture hypothesis posits they are remnants of asteroids pulled in by Mars’ gravity. Data from orbital observations and returned samples are expected to help determine which theory is correct.
Global partners contribute rover and scientific instruments
The French and German space agencies developed IDEFIX, a rover weighing less than 30 kg, which will land on Phobos before the main spacecraft. Its functions include examining surface behavior under mechanical stress and testing wheeled mobility. NASA provided MEGANE, a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer, and the spacecraft carries seven scientific instruments, including an infrared spectrometer created in collaboration with CNES.
Europe also supplies essential communication equipment. ESA provided a transponder and power amplifier for deep space communication, and its Estrack ground station network will facilitate command transmission and data reception. ESA’s Director of Science Carole Mundell congratulated JAXA and the MMX team on the launch, while Elliot Sefton-Nash, the project’s scientist at ESA, commended the H3 launcher’s performance in dispatching the spacecraft.
Sample collection scheduled for 2031 in Australia
The spacecraft is projected to arrive near Mars approximately one year post-launch. It will orbit Phobos in a quasi-satellite orbit and evaluate landing site options before touchdown. MMX intends to gather at least 10 grams of material using two sampling devices: a coring tool on a robotic arm targeting regolith deeper than 2 cm, and a pneumatic system that uses pressurized gas to push soil into a container.
During its mission, MMX will also observe Deimos, the smaller Martian moon, during a flyby. Following this, it will depart Mars’ vicinity for a return journey lasting about one year. The collected samples are scheduled to be returned to Earth in 2031, with recovery planned in Australia. JAXA announced the mission in 2015, initiated development in 2020 with an initial launch target set for 2024, which was later moved to 2026.