Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft: Launch prep | JAXA

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft: Launch prep | JAXA

MMX Return and Exploration Modules

MMX spacecraft (full view): MMX Propulsion Module (left), MMX Return and Exploration Modules (right)

MMX Propulsion Module

MMX trajectory diagram (FY2026 version)

MMX spacecraft on Martian moon Phobos (artist illustration)

MMX launch poster

MMX is a sample return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. After arriving at Mars, the spacecraft will study Phobos from orbit, land on the moon to collect samples, and return this material to Earth. MMX will also conduct observations of Mars, and perform close flyby observations of Mars’s smaller moon, Deimos, before departing the Martian system. The mission is expected to last about five years with arrival at Mars roughly one year after launch and sample return to Earth planned for 2031.

MMX will be the first mission to explore the Martian moons and return a sample, and also humanity’s first round-trip from the Mars sphere.

MMX is a Japan-led mission with strong international involvement from the USA (NASA), France (CNES), Germany (DLR), Europe (ESA), and Australia (ASA).

The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft will launch on Japan’s H3 Launch Vehicle flight No. 10 from the at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tanegashima Space Center, on a small island in southwestern Japan. The launch is currently scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

Learn more: 

https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/10/20261018-1_e.html

Image Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2026

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