The Martian moon of Phobos, as pictured during an eclipse – credit, JPL-Caltech / NASA, screenshot
In a galactic step forward for planetary science, Japan successfully launched a spacecraft on October 19th, headed for the mysterious moons of Mars. The mission aims to collect soil samples and bring them back to Earth for the first time in history.
The Martian Moons eXploration mission, known as MMX, lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center aboard Japan’s H3 rocket at 3:41 p.m. EDT (4:41 a.m. local time the next day).
Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), this five-year, $578 million international effort brings together partners from NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency in a shared quest to unlock secrets of our solar system.
The roughly 5-ton spacecraft is expected to arrive at Mars by late summer 2027, where it will closely study the planet’s two small, potato-shaped moons—Phobos (about 14 miles or 22 km across) and the even smaller Deimos. Then it will attempt something never done before: landing on Phobos to gather samples of its surface.
Scientists are eager to understand how these curious moons formed. Were they created from debris after a giant impact on Mars, or are they asteroids captured long ago? The samples could finally settle the debate.
Even better, material from Phobos may contain grains blasted off Mars itself over billions of years, offering fresh clues about the Red Planet’s history and perhaps even the conditions that helped life take root on Earth.
To help navigate Phobos’ challenging terrain and extremely low gravity, the mission carries a small French-German rover named Idefix (after the loyal white dog in the Asterix comics).
This microwave-sized, 4-wheeled scout will be released first to explore ahead, bouncing carefully across the surface at speeds measured in millimeters per second to identify a safe spot for the main spacecraft to touch down.
MORE GOOD NEWS FROM THE GALAXY:
The lander is designed to spend only about 2 hours on the surface, using both Japanese and NASA-contributed tools to drill and vacuum up at least 10 grams of material before returning to orbit.
After additional observations—including flybys of Deimos—the MMX probe is scheduled to depart the Martian system in 2030 and deliver its sample capsule to the Australian desert in 2031. If successful, it will mark the first time humanity has brought home material from any moon other than our own.
The mission will also gather data that could support future human journeys to Mars. JAXA has noted that Phobos may one day serve as a natural outpost or staging point, and the experience of traveling there and back will help refine the technologies needed for astronauts.
It’s the kind of bold, collaborative achievement that reminds us how far curiosity and teamwork can take us—literally, to other worlds.
WATCH the livestreamed countdown and lift off below…
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