Japan's MMX mission to launch Nov-Dec 2026 for Phobos samples

Technology Apr 23, 2026

Japan's MMX spacecraft is gearing up for a big adventure, collecting samples from Phobos, one of Mars's mysterious moons.
After some rocket delays, the mission is now set to launch from Tanegashima spaceport between November and December 2026.
The goal? To figure out where Mars's moons really came from.

MMX will map both Martian moons

Once MMX arrives at Mars in 2027, it will map both Phobos and Deimos before landing on Phobos in 2029 to grab about 10gm of material.
These samples should make it back to Earth by 2031, hopefully answering whether the moons are captured asteroids or pieces of ancient Mars.
Helping out is the IDEFIX rover, which will land first and gather key data in Phobos's low gravity to guide the main mission.