JAXA to Launch Mars Moon Exploration Spacecraft on Oct. 20

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:44:19 +0000

The No. 10 H3 rocket is scheduled to blast off from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 4:41:03 a.m. that day. The Martian Moons eXploration, or MMX, spacecraft is expected to arrive near Mars about a year after the launch. It will observe Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars, and collect samples from the surface of Phobos.

JAXA unveils Martian moon probe to be launched on sample-taking mission

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 12:54:33 +0000

Photo by Haseeb Modi on Unsplash

Japan's space agency has shown to the media a Martian moon probe scheduled to be launched as early as this autumn. The goal of the mission will be to bring the first-ever surface samples of the moon Phobos back to earth. Members of the media were invited to the Tanegashima Space Center on Thursday to view the Martian Moons Exploration craft, or MMX. JAXA has spent around 347 million dollars developing the probe for what it hopes will be the world's first successful attempt to land on a Martian moon and bring back surface samples.

Jaxa on Ask Sendai

JAXA to Launch Mars Moon Exploration Spacecraft on Oct. 20

JAXA unveils Martian moon probe to be launched on sample-taking mission