Japan launches MMX spacecraft: Will bring samples from Martian moon

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the H3 rocket carrying the MMX spacecraft into space from the Tanegashima Space Center on October 20 as part of the 5-year Martian Moons Exploration mission. If successful, the mission will mark the first time samples have been brought back from Mars or its moon for analysis.

According to JAXA's statement, the H3 F10 rocket launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture at 04:41 local time, initiating the mission. The launch of the MMX mission, planned with an investment of 587 million dollars, was broadcast live on JAXA's official YouTube channel. The spacecraft will conduct investigations on Phobos, a moon with a diameter of 22 kilometers orbiting approximately 6,000 kilometers above the Martian surface.

Planned to enter orbit around Mars and land on Phobos about a year after launch, the spacecraft is projected to operate in three phases—landing attempts, the exploration of Phobos, and the return to Earth—returning by the end of March 2031. On its return journey, the spacecraft will drop the capsule containing the collected samples to be retrieved in the Australian region.