TOKYO, Japan / AsiaWire.IO / – A spacecraft bound for Mars has been launched by Japan, aiming to explore the planet’s enigmatic moons and retrieve samples for Earth analysis. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency deployed the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe into space using an H3 rocket launched from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred early Tuesday morning, October 20, at 04:41 local time. The mission is a collaborative effort involving five space agencies, planned to last five years.
The goal of MMX is to land a robotic prospector and a rover on Phobos, the larger and nearer of Mars’ two small moons. Success would mark the first time a spacecraft orbits Phobos, collects surface samples, and returns them to Earth. JAXA is leading the project, with partners including NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency. Confirmation of spacecraft separation from the rocket was received after launch.
The scientific community hopes this mission will clarify the origins of Phobos and Deimos. The prevailing impact hypothesis suggests that the moons formed after a large object struck Mars, while the capture hypothesis posits they originated as asteroids from the outer Solar System pulled in by Mars’ gravity. Data from orbit and analysis of the collected 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, which will precede the main spacecraft by landing on Phobos. Its primary objectives include testing surface mechanics and demonstrating wheeled mobility. NASA contributed MEGANE, a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer. The spacecraft is equipped with seven scientific instruments, including an infrared spectrometer created in collaboration with CNES.
European support plays a crucial role in communication efforts. ESA provided a transponder and power amplifier for deep space communication, 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 launch, while Elliot Sefton-Nash, the project scientist for MMX at ESA, praised the H3 launcher for its performance in sending the spacecraft on its journey.
Sample collection scheduled for 2031 in Australia
The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars orbit approximately one year after launch, studying Phobos from a quasi-satellite orbit and evaluating potential landing sites before touchdown. Using two tools, MMX will gather at least 10 grams of material. A coring sampler on a robotic arm will target regolith deeper than 2 cm, while a pneumatic sampler will fire pressurized gas to push soil into a container.
During its mission, MMX will also observe Deimos, the smaller Martian moon, during a flyby. After completing its surface operations, the spacecraft will leave the Mars system for a return journey of about one year. The sample capsule is scheduled to return to Earth in 2031, with recovery efforts taking place in Australia. The mission was first announced by JAXA in 2015, with development beginning in 2020. Initially planned for a 2024 launch, the schedule was later moved to 2026.
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