Science · Space
Japan’s MMX mission begins journey to the moons of Mars
The spacecraft carries a European rover and aims to return samples from Phobos.
Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft launched from Tanegashima aboard an H3 rocket at 4:41 a.m. local time on 20 October, beginning a mission to investigate Phobos and Deimos.
MMX carries Idefix, a rover developed by the German Aerospace Center and France’s CNES. The rover is scheduled to reach Phobos around the turn of 2028–29 and explore its surface for about 100 days. Its measurements should help scientists assess the terrain before the main spacecraft attempts its own landing.
The mission aims to collect at least ten grams of material and return it to Earth in 2031. Researchers want to establish whether Mars captured the two moons as asteroids or whether they formed from debris produced by a major impact. The launch is the first step; the landings and sample return remain planned milestones.
Sources
- DLR: MMX mission successfully launches; Idefix rover on its way to Phobos, 19 October UTC
- JAXA: Launch time announcement, 18 October 2026
- JAXA: Martian Moons eXploration mission overview
Compiled by The Meridian News Desk from the sources listed above. Eyewitness accounts are attributed and their verification status is stated. Where sources give different figures, both are shown.
