TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft was launched successfully on October 20, aiming to investigate Mars’ enigmatic moons and bring back samples to Earth. The probe was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center atop an H3 rocket. The launch occurred early Tuesday morning at 04:41 local time, with five space agencies collaborating on this five-year exploration mission.
MMX’s objectives include landing a robotic prospecting device and a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two small moons. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first spacecraft to orbit Phobos, collect surface samples, and return them to Earth. JAXA is leading the effort, with partners including NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency. Confirmation of spacecraft separation from the rocket was received following launch.
The mission aims to clarify the origins of Phobos and Deimos. The giant impact hypothesis suggests the moons formed after a significant collision with Mars, while the capture hypothesis proposes they are asteroids from the outer Solar System captured by Mars’ gravity. Data from orbiting observations and returned samples are expected to shed light on which theory is accurate.
Global partners contribute rover and scientific instruments
The French and German space agencies developed IDEFIX, a rover weighing less than 30 kg that will land on Phobos ahead of the main spacecraft. Its role includes testing surface mechanics under mechanical interaction and demonstrating wheeled mobility. NASA provided MEGANE, a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer. The spacecraft is equipped with seven scientific instruments, including an infrared spectrometer developed in partnership with CNES.
Europe plays a vital role in communication support, delivering a transponder and power amplifier for deep space operations. The ESA Estrack ground station network will facilitate command transmission and data reception. ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell praised JAXA and the MMX team for the launch, while Elliot Sefton-Nash, the project scientist for MMX, commended the H3 launcher’s performance in sending the spacecraft on its trajectory.
Sample retrieval set for 2031 in Australia
Following its arrival near Mars approximately one year post-launch, MMX will orbit Phobos in a quasi-satellite orbit, conducting site surveys and preparing for landing. The spacecraft will gather at least 10 grams of material with two tools: a coring sampler on a robotic arm targeting regolith deeper than 2 cm, and a pneumatic sampler 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. After completing its surface operations, the spacecraft will depart Mars and return to Earth in about one year. The capsule containing the samples is scheduled to land in Australia in 2031. JAXA announced the mission in 2015, with development beginning in 2020, initially targeting a 2024 launch before shifting to 2026.