TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – On Tuesday, October 20, at 04:41 Japan time, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launched the Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, or MMX, from the Tanegashima Space Center using an H3 rocket. The mission, which has a duration of five years, aims to deploy a robotic lander and rover on Phobos, one of Mars’ two small moons, to collect samples and study their origins.
Phobos, being the larger and closer of the two Martian moons, is expected to be the first target for MMX to orbit and to gather surface samples from. This mission aspires to be the first to return samples from the Martian system to Earth and to orbit Phobos. The effort is led by JAXA, in partnership with NASA, the French space agency CNES, the German Aerospace Center DLR, and the European Space Agency. The launch proceeded smoothly, and spacecraft separation was confirmed afterward.
A key goal of the mission is to resolve the debate about how the Martian moons formed. The giant impact hypothesis suggests they resulted from a collision between Mars and a large body, while the capture hypothesis proposes they are asteroids from the outer Solar System captured by Mars’ gravity. JAXA states that remote sensing and detailed analysis of the samples will help determine their true origin.
International collaborators contribute rover and scientific instruments
The small rover IDEFIX, supplied by CNES and DLR, weighs under 30 kg and will land on Phobos prior to the main spacecraft. Its purpose is to examine the surface’s response to mechanical interaction and to test wheeled mobility. NASA has provided a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer named MEGANE, while CNES contributed an infrared spectrometer and offers expertise in flight dynamics. In total, the spacecraft carries seven scientific instruments.
ESA has supplied deep space communication gear, including a transponder and power amplifier, and will support the mission through its Estrack network of ground stations. ESA project scientist Elliot Sefton-Nash praised Japan’s H3 launcher for its excellent performance in sending the spacecraft on its trajectory. Carole Mundell, ESA Director of Science, congratulated JAXA and the MMX team on the successful launch.
Sample return expected in 2031 after Mars orbit and Phobos observations
Following its launch, MMX is projected to arrive at Mars approximately one year later, with ESA indicating a summer 2024 arrival. The spacecraft will orbit Phobos in a quasi-satellite orbit, conducting surveys of potential landing sites. It will then execute a landing to collect at least 10 grams of surface material using a coring sampler on a robotic arm capable of reaching depths over 2 cm, and a pneumatic system that uses pressurized gas to push soil into a container.
After completing its surface work on Phobos, MMX will perform a flyby of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, before embarking on a roughly one-year journey back to Earth. The sample return capsule is scheduled to deliver its cargo in 2031, with recovery efforts planned in Australia. The mission was approved in 2020, initially set for launch in 2024, but the schedule was later adjusted to 2026.
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