Japan launches MMX mission to Mars’s moon Phobos

Oct 20, 4:46 AM UTC

Launch and spacecraft separation confirmed

Japan’s MMX spacecraft launched from Tanegashima on October 20 local time and successfully separated from its H3 rocket about 71 minutes later, JAXA confirmed. The mission aims to return samples from Mars’s moon Phobos in 2031. Samples and observations could help distinguish between two proposed origins of the Martian moons: captured asteroids or debris from a large collision with Mars. The German-French Idefix rover is intended to examine surface properties and help select landing and sampling sites, DLR says. Landing, sampling and sample return remain future objectives.

JAXA: H3ロケット10号機による火星衛星探査機（MMX）の打上げ結果 · JAXA: MMX scientific objectives · JAXA: Martian Moons eXploration mission and schedule · MMX mission successfully launches – Idefix® rover on its way to Martian moon Phobos