MMX

Martian Moons eXploration

future Mission

A Japanese (JAXA) mission to travel to Mars and survey the Red Planet's two moons, Phobos and Deimos. The spacecraft will explore both moons and collect a sample of Phobos and bring it to Earth.

Type

Orbiter, Sample Return

Launch

2026

Target

Deimos and Phobos

Objective

Clarify the origin of the two Martian moons and the evolution process of Mars, Phobos and Deimos
Illustration of a spacecraft over Mars. The moon Phobos is shown in the background at an exaggerated scale.
An artist’s concept of JAXA’s MMX spacecraft at Mars.
JAXA
Goals
Japan's MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) will study Mars' small moons Phobos and Deimos, collect a sample of one of them and return it to Earth.
Proposed Launch
2026
Science Targets
Types
Orbiter, Lander, Sample Return
Agency
Japan
Alternate Names

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