World · News
Japan's MMX Mission Targets Launch to Bring Back a Sample of Mars' Moon Phobos
JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft carries NASA instruments and aims to settle a long-running debate over where Phobos and Deimos came from.
Published
Event date: Launch targeted Oct. 19, 2026, 3:41 p.m. EDT (Oct. 20, 4:41 a.m. JST)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) spacecraft is targeting launch from Tanegashima Space Center at 3:41 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19 — 4:41 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Japan — according to NASA. As of publication, National Current had not confirmed the launch outcome; this article will be updated.
The mission aims to characterize Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, determine their origin and return a sample of Phobos to Earth.
An open question about origins
"Phobos and Deimos may be the remains of a massive impact on Mars that sent material into orbit around the planet, or they could be ancient asteroids that were captured by Mars' gravity billions of years ago," Tom Statler, MMX program executive and program scientist at NASA Headquarters, said in NASA's announcement.
NASA's role
- The MEGANE (Mars-moon Exploration with Gamma rays and Neutrons) spectrograph instrument.
- The Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) technology demonstration.
- Communications and navigation support from NASA's Deep Space Network.
- Funding for U.S. scientists on the MMX science team, and support for sample curation.
Sources
Listed by organization and page title. Source addresses are kept in our editorial records for verification.
- NASA Science — NASA to help unlock mysteries of Mars' moons (Oct. 15, 2026) · checked October 7, 2026