TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – Exploration of Mars and its natural satellites has taken a significant step forward as Japan has initiated a spacecraft journey aimed at studying the planet’s enigmatic moons and bringing back samples to Earth. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe into space atop an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred before dawn on Tuesday, October 20, at 04:41 local time. The mission involves collaboration among five space agencies over a duration of five years.
The primary goal of MMX is to land a robotic prospector and a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two small moons. If the mission is successful, it will mark the first time a spacecraft has orbited Phobos, collected surface samples, and returned to Earth from the Mars system. JAXA is leading this effort with support from NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency. The separation of the spacecraft from the launch vehicle was confirmed following liftoff.
Researchers hope this mission will help resolve longstanding questions about the origins of Phobos and Deimos. The giant impact hypothesis suggests the moons formed after a large body collided with Mars, while the capture hypothesis posits they originated as asteroids from the outer Solar System that were captured by Mars’ gravity. Data collected from orbit and the analysis of returned material are expected to shed light on which theory is correct.
Global partners contribute rover and scientific instruments
The French and German space agencies developed IDEFIX, a rover weighing less than 30 kg that will land on Phobos prior to the main spacecraft. Its objectives include testing how the surface reacts mechanically and demonstrating wheeled mobility. NASA provided MEGANE, a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer. The spacecraft also carries seven scientific instruments, including an infrared spectrometer created through collaboration with CNES.
Europe plays a vital role in supporting communications. ESA supplied a transponder and power amplifier for deep space links and will utilize its Estrack ground station network to send commands and receive data. ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell congratulated JAXA and the MMX team on the successful launch. Elliot Sefton-Nash, the project scientist for MMX at ESA, praised the H3 launcher’s performance in propelling the spacecraft on its journey.
Sample collection set for 2031 in Australia
Following an estimated one-year transit, the spacecraft is expected to arrive near Mars, where it will study Phobos from a quasi-satellite orbit and assess potential landing sites before touchdown. MMX will gather at least 10 grams of material using two different tools. One is a coring sampler attached to a robotic arm, targeting regolith deeper than 2 cm, while the other is a pneumatic sampler that fires pressurized gas to push soil into a container.
Additionally, MMX plans to observe Deimos, the smaller Martian moon, during a flyby before departing the Mars system for a return journey estimated to take about one year. The capsule containing the samples is scheduled to land on Earth in 2031, with recovery efforts taking place in Australia. JAXA announced the mission in 2015, with development beginning in 2020. The original launch target was 2024, later postponed to 2026.