Japan Embarks on Groundbreaking Mission to Retrieve Samples from Mars Moon Phobos

10/20/2026

Japan's MMX mission will collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos and return it to Earth by 2031, aiming to resolve how Mars' two moons formed and evolved

10/20/2026

Spacecraft to collect rocks and sand from Phobos before returning to Earth in July 2031

10/20/2026

TOKYO -- Japan's mission to collect samples from Mars moon Phobos got underway on Tuesday after its H3 rocket, operated by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, lifted off from the Tanegashima Space...

10/20/2026

A Japanese spacecraft is rocketing toward Mars on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples

10/20/2026

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on October 18 that its H3 Flight No. 10 rocket, carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, had been transferred from the...

10/20/2026

Japan has successfully launched a spacecraft bound for the moons of Mars, gaining an early advantage over China in the international race to become the first country to return samples from Mars or...

10/18/2026

Japan is launching a spacecraft on a groundbreaking mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of Mars' moons