Science · 2026-10-20 · Morning briefing

Japan launches mission to sample Martian moon Phobos

Japan launched its most ambitious interplanetary mission to date on Monday, a $578 million expedition to retrieve samples from Phobos, the largest moon of Mars. The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center atop a 63-meter H3 rocket. It will now begin a 10-month voyage, aiming to arrive at Mars next August.

The 4.5-metric-ton probe will spend three years surveying the Martian moons before attempting up to two landings on Phobos in 2029. The project builds on Japan’s successful Hayabusa asteroid missions, and the mission's project manager at JAXA suggests sample-return has become a Japanese "speciality." This track record attracted contributions from NASA and European space agencies, who may view a Japanese-led mission as a more certain path to success than launching their own.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

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• Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon Phobos
• Japan Launches Mission to Mars’s Moons and Plans to Bring Samples Home
• Japan launches ambitious robotic mission to Martian moon Phobos
• Japan Launches Spacecraft On Bold Mission To Mars’ Moons
• Japan launches historic mission to collect samples from Mars moon Phobos

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