Japan’s Ambitious Mars Mission To Launch Historic Round-Trip Journey To Mars’ Moon – Here’s All You Need to Know

Japan is launching an ambitious mission that aims to collect samples from Phobos (one of Mars’ moons) and then return to Earth. The mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is expected to take place over 5 years. 

Japan Mars Mission: What’s the New Mission? 

The Martian Moons eXploration mission is a robotic space exploration project intended to study Mars’ two natural satellites, Phobos and Deimos, with special emphasis on gathering samples from Phobos.

Unlike traditional missions that examine distant celestial bodies using photographs and remote measurements, MMX is built to bring physical material back to Earth. Scientists will then be able to study the samples with laboratory instruments that are more advanced than any that can be carried aboard a spacecraft.

You Might Be Interested In

The mission’s spacecraft will be made up of three main modules: propulsion, exploration, and sample return. While the spacecraft carries out observations and gathers material around Phobos, a dedicated return module will transport the samples back to Earth.

JAXA intends to collect a minimum of 10 grams of material from the moon. The mission is expected to run for roughly five years, which makes it one of Japan’s most ambitious planetary exploration projects.

Japan Mars Mission: When Will MMX Mission Launch? 

The MMX spacecraft is set to lift off on October 20, 2026, on Japan’s H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.