Japan launches mission to retrieve samples from Martian moon
The MMX probe is to bring dust and rock from Phobos to Earth, with arrival planned for 2031 if the mission succeeds.
There is news on this story (Monday, 19 October 2026, 23:43): Japanese probe sets off for Mars moon Phobos
Follow-up to: Japan plans mission to launch for Mars’s potato moon Monday, 19 October 2026, 13:42
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Japan launched a space probe on Monday for a mission to Phobos, one of Mars’s two small moons. The mission is intended to bring material from the Martian moon back to Earth.
The probe was launched before sunrise from Tanegashima in Japan, according to Associated Press. The mission is led by Japan’s space agency JAXA and is called Martian Moons Exploration, or MMX for short.
MMX must first travel to the Martian system and study Phobos over an extended period. A Franco-German rover is currently scheduled to land on the surface around 2029. The Japanese probe would then collect at least several grams of material and bring it back to Earth in a capsule.
Phobos is roughly 20 to 30 kilometres across and orbits Mars at a relatively short distance. Scientists do not yet know for certain how the moon formed. The samples could help determine whether Phobos is a captured asteroid, a remnant of a major impact on Mars, or formed in another way.
Several space agencies are involved in the mission. The probe carries 13 instruments, including equipment from the United States, France, Germany and Europe. The international cooperation is intended to map both the surface of Phobos and its surroundings.
A successful launch is only the beginning. The flight, arrival at Mars, landing of the rover, sample collection and return to Earth each involve separate risks. According to AP, the samples would arrive in 2031 if the mission were fully successful. Until then, no scientific result from the material itself will be available.
The mission is also relevant to future plans concerning Mars. Phobos is sometimes mentioned as a possible staging point for crewed Mars missions, because the moon is closer to Mars than Earth is. That is, however, a future application and not a goal already demonstrated by this launch.
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The launch on 19 October and the design of the MMX mission have been confirmed by recent AP reporting. Future steps have been described as plans, not as achieved results.
- confirmed Japan launched the MMX probe on 19 October. — AP describes the launch from Tanegashima. source
- confirmed MMX is intended to bring material from Phobos to Earth. — The mission’s purpose is described by AP. source
- confirmed The samples would arrive in 2031 if the mission succeeds. — AP gives 2031 as the expected return date. source
Editor's note
The launch, the mission’s purpose and the planned cooperation have been confirmed by AP. Whether the probe actually returns samples remains uncertain until the mission is complete.Sources
The story so far
- Monday, 19 October 2026, 13:42 Japan plans mission to launch for Mars’s potato moon
- Monday, 19 October 2026, 22:41 Japan launches mission to retrieve samples from Martian moon (this article)
- Monday, 19 October 2026, 23:43 Japanese probe sets off for Mars moon Phobos
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „japan mars”
- de Volkskrant — „japan mars”
- RTL Nieuws — „japan mars”