Overview
- Japan's JAXA sent the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft into space on Tuesday and reported successful separation from its H3 rocket, with the probe now on an interplanetary trajectory to Mars.
- MMX is scheduled to arrive near Mars in mid-2027 to enter a quasi‑satellite path around Phobos, deploy the European-built rover IDEFIX for about 100 days to map safe sampling zones, and observe Deimos during flybys.
- Mission plans call for two short landings on Phobos in late 2028–early 2029 using a four‑leg lander that will drill and aspirate material, aiming to collect at least 10 grams of surface dust and rock for return to Earth in 2031.
- The international effort carries a reported budget near $578 million with contributions from NASA, CNES, DLR and ESA, and builds on Japan's Hayabusa heritage in autonomous guidance and sample‑return hardware.
- Engineers warn of major risks from Phobos's extremely low gravity and the roughly 44‑minute roundtrip communications delay, requiring the spacecraft to perform autonomous descent, sampling and liftoff with no real‑time control from Earth.