TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – A spacecraft headed for Mars has been launched by Japan, aiming to investigate the planet’s enigmatic moons and retrieve samples for Earth analysis. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency dispatched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe into space atop an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred early Tuesday morning, October 20, at 04:41 local time. The five-year mission involves collaboration among five space agencies.
MMX aims to land a robotic explorer and rover on Phobos, the larger and closer moon of Mars. If successful, it will be the first mission to orbit Phobos, collect surface samples, and return them to Earth. The mission is led by JAXA, with participation from NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency. Confirmation of spacecraft separation from the rocket was received after launch.
Scientists hope the mission will clarify whether Phobos and Deimos originated from impact events or captured asteroids. The giant impact theory suggests the moons formed after a large body struck Mars, while the capture hypothesis proposes they are captured objects from the outer Solar System. Data from orbit and returned material are expected to shed light on these possibilities.
Global partners provide rover and scientific tools
The French and German space agencies developed IDEFIX, a rover under 30 kg that will land on Phobos ahead of the main spacecraft. Its primary functions include testing surface behavior under mechanical stress and demonstrating wheeled mobility. NASA contributed MEGANE, a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer, while the spacecraft carries seven scientific instruments, including an infrared spectrometer created in collaboration with CNES.
Europe also offers essential communication support, with ESA providing a transponder and power amplifier for deep space links, utilizing its Estrack ground station network for command and data transfer. ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell congratulated JAXA and the MMX team on the launch, while MMX project scientist Elliot Sefton-Nash praised the H3 launcher’s performance in sending the spacecraft on its journey.
Sample collection expected in Australia by 2031
Approximately one year after launch, the spacecraft is anticipated to arrive near Mars, observing Phobos from a quasi-satellite orbit and assessing landing sites. It will gather at least 10 grams of material with two tools: a coring sampler on a robotic arm for regolith over 2 cm deep, and a pneumatic sampler that fires pressurized gas to extract soil into a container.
During a flyby, MMX will also observe Deimos, the smaller Martian moon, before departing for a return trip lasting about one year. The collected samples are scheduled to return to Earth in 2031, with recovery planned in Australia. JAXA announced the mission in 2015, and development started in 2020, initially targeting a 2024 launch, which was later postponed to 2026.