Tanegashima Space Center

JAXA Launches MMX Mission to Collect Samples from Mars' Moon Phobos

Japan's space agency JAXA is launching the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft from Tanegashima Space Center, aiming to reach Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos after about a year of travel. The mission will study both moons remotely and collect physical samples from Phobos to return to Earth, following three earlier Russian attempts that all failed.

wired.com · 2026-10-19

JAXA Launches MMX Mission to Collect Samples From Mars Moon Phobos

Japan's space agency JAXA, with NASA support, launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission from Tanegashima Space Center to study Mars' moons Deimos and Phobos. The spacecraft aims to collect a sample from Phobos' surface and return it to Earth, a first if successful. NASA officials, including Nicky Fox and Tom Statler, say the samples could offer new insight into the moons' origins and the early solar system.

cnet.com · 2026-10-19