{"id":33683,"date":"2026-10-18T12:15:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/?p=33683"},"modified":"2026-10-18T12:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:15:21","slug":"jaxa-mmx-phobos-zapusk-20-zhovtnya-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/science-tech\/jaxa-mmx-phobos-zapusk-20-zhovtnya-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan is set to attempt, for the first time, to bring samples from Phobos back to Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"news-lead\">The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission to Phobos on an H3 rocket. The spacecraft is set to collect samples from Mars\u2019s larger moon and return them to Earth in 2031 \u2014 this is set to be the first return of material from the Martian system.<\/p>\n<div class=\"news-summary-box\">\n<p><strong>Briefly about the main points<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The launch of MMX on an H3 rocket is scheduled for 20 October from Tanegashima.<\/li>\n<li>The spacecraft is due to arrive at Mars in August 2027.<\/li>\n<li>MMX plans to make two landings on Phobos and collect over 10 g of material.<\/li>\n<li>The capsule carrying the samples is due to return to Earth in 2031.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The launch is scheduled for 20 October<\/h2>\n<p>According to JAXA, the launch is scheduled to take place on 20 October at 04:41:03 Japan Standard Time. In the US Eastern Time Zone, this corresponds to 19 October at 15:41, reports <a href=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/science-tech\/chinese-cyber-espionage-us-agencies\/\">NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The mission is expected to last approximately five years. MMX will consist of a propulsion module, a research module and a re-entry module; only the latter is due to return to Earth \u2014 carrying a sample container.<\/p>\n<h2>What mysteries of Mars\u2019 moons will be investigated?<\/h2>\n<p>Phobos and the smaller Deimos remain poorly understood. Among the main scientific hypotheses regarding their origin are that they were captured by Mars\u2019s gravity from the asteroid belt, or that they formed from debris following a major collision with early Mars.<\/p>\n<p>Analysing the composition of samples from Phobos should help scientists evaluate these scenarios and gain a better understanding of the evolution of the Martian system. However, future research does not guarantee a definitive answer to all questions regarding the origin of the two moons.<\/p>\n<h2>Two plantings and two ways to gather the material<\/h2>\n<p>The MMX is expected to arrive in the vicinity of Mars in August 2027. The plan involves two soft landings on Phobos and the return of more than 10 grams of material; according to NASA, sample collection is scheduled for no earlier than December 2028.<\/p>\n<p>For the surface regolith, the P-Sampler \u2013 a pneumatic device provided by NASA \u2013 will be used: it is designed to lift particles using pulses of compressed gas. The Japanese C-Sampler is designed to take core samples from a depth of several centimetres, which will enable a comparison between material from the surface and that from beneath it.<\/p>\n<h2>The Idefix rover and the contribution of international partners<\/h2>\n<p>International partners are taking part in the mission. NASA is providing the MEGANE gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, the P-Sampler system, as well as deep-space communications and navigation support. The European Space Agency is providing deep-space communications equipment and ground support.<\/p>\n<p>The Franco-German rover Idefix, developed by CNES and DLR, is scheduled to land on Phobos in 2029 for approximately 100 days. It is to explore the surface and help identify a suitable site for the subsequent landing of the main MMX spacecraft; the Deimos mission will observe the final phase of operations near Mars.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33684\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33684\" style=\"width: 661px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33684\" src=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-300x167.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"661\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-1024x568.png 1024w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-757x420.png 757w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-696x386.png 696w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63-1068x593.png 1068w, https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot_1-63.png 1526w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 661px) 100vw, 661px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33684\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">JAXA unveiled the spacecraft for the mission to Mars\u2019 moons at the Tanegashima Space Centre in August.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The capsule is scheduled to return in 2031<\/h2>\n<p>Once its work near Mars is complete, the return module is due to head for Earth. According to plans drawn up by JAXA and ESA, the capsule carrying the samples will re-enter the atmosphere and land in Australia in 2031.<\/p>\n<p>The material is then to be sent to JAXA\u2019s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, near Tokyo, for extraction and cataloguing. Only then will the scientists be able to begin a detailed analysis of the returned samples.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JAXA plans to launch the MMX mission to Phobos from Tanegashima on 20 October. The return of the capsule containing the samples to Earth is scheduled for 2031.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":207433346,"featured_media":33682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_description":"JAXA \u043f\u043b\u0430\u043d\u0443\u0454 20 \u0436\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f \u0437\u0430\u043f\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0442\u0438 \u043c\u0456\u0441\u0456\u044e MMX \u0434\u043e \u0424\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0441\u0430. \u0410\u043f\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0442 \u043c\u0430\u0454 \u0437\u0456\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u043d\u0430\u0434 10 \u0433 \u0437\u0440\u0430\u0437\u043a\u0456\u0432 \u0441\u0443\u043f\u0443\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0441\u0430 \u0439 \u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u0438\u0442\u0438 \u0457\u0445 \u043d\u0430 \u0417\u0435\u043c\u043b\u044e \u0443 2031 \u0440\u043e\u0446\u0456.","rank_math_title":"\u042f\u043f\u043e\u043d\u0456\u044f \u0437\u0430\u043f\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0442\u044c MMX \u0434\u043e \u0424\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0441\u0430 20 \u0436\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f: \u0449\u043e \u0432\u0456\u0434\u043e\u043c\u043e","rank_math_focus_keyword":"MMX","td_subtitle":"","subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[805620],"tags":[805624],"class_list":["post-33683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science-tech","tag-805624"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207433346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33685,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33683\/revisions\/33685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}