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Sample Return

2 GoKawiil briefs on this topic

NASA pushes Europe toward sharper role in US-led Moon Base plans

NASA has scrapped the Lunar Gateway station and the Mars Sample Return mission as it redirects resources toward a Moon Base near the lunar south pole, intensifying competition with China. Administrator Jared Isaacman says international partners, including the European Space Agency, must now offer "meaningful contributions" that fill gaps NASA or US companies aren't already addressing, and he has rejected an ESA proposal for a European cargo lander.

JAXA 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.