GoKawiilJAXA sets October 2026 launch for MMX mission to land on Phobos and return samples
Japan's space agency JAXA plans to launch its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft on October 20, 2026, aiming to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos, one of Mars' two moons. The mission, built by Mitsubishi Electric, would take about a year to reach Mars, spend three years studying the planet and its moons, then return samples to Earth by 2031.