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Science
Japan launches historic mission to explore Mars’ moons and return samples
✍️ Times of India
🗓 20 Oct 2026, 06:33 AM
👁 17
Japan’s space agency JAXA successfully launched a mission aimed at studying Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos and retrieving material for return to Earth.
Tokyo, Oct 20 — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) lifted off its H‑IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center, marking the start of a pioneering venture to investigate the two small moons orbiting Mars.
The spacecraft, named "MMX" (Mars Moon eXploration), will enter Martian orbit to conduct detailed surveys of Phobos and Deimos, collect surface material, and later return the samples to Earth using a dedicated re‑entry capsule.
If successful, the mission would be the first to bring back extraterrestrial material from a Martian satellite, offering scientists unprecedented insight into the origins of the moons and the early solar system.
JAXA officials highlighted the project's international partnerships, noting contributions from NASA and the European Space Agency, and projected a sample‑return landing on Earth by the mid‑2030s.
The spacecraft, named "MMX" (Mars Moon eXploration), will enter Martian orbit to conduct detailed surveys of Phobos and Deimos, collect surface material, and later return the samples to Earth using a dedicated re‑entry capsule.
If successful, the mission would be the first to bring back extraterrestrial material from a Martian satellite, offering scientists unprecedented insight into the origins of the moons and the early solar system.
JAXA officials highlighted the project's international partnerships, noting contributions from NASA and the European Space Agency, and projected a sample‑return landing on Earth by the mid‑2030s.