NASA has detailed its contributions to Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration mission, known as MMX, in an announcement published on 15 October 2026.
A mission focused on Phobos and Deimos
Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the mission aims to investigate the origins of Mars’ two moons and return material from Phobos to Earth. NASA says the spacecraft is targeting launch on 19 October in the United States, corresponding to 20 October in Japan.
NASA’s contributions include the MEGANE instrument, a pneumatic sampler, communications and navigation support, and participating scientists. MEGANE will examine chemical elements at Phobos’ surface by measuring gamma rays and neutrons.
Samples are a future goal
The published mission plan calls for arrival at Mars in August 2027, sampling no earlier than December 2028, and delivery to Earth in 2031. These are planned milestones, rather than completed events.
The central scientific question is whether the moons formed from an impact or were captured asteroids. Returned samples could help researchers distinguish between those explanations.
Source: NASA mission announcement.
