Technology and Scienceupdated 1h ago2 min read
JAXA Prepares MMX Mission To Phobos, With NASA Contributions, Sample Return In 2031
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
MMX aims to collect samples from Phobos and return them to Earth by 2031. NASA contributes science and technology support to Japan's MMX mission.
11 outlets told this the same way.
MMX heads to Phobos
Japan’s JAXA is preparing to launch its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission toward Phobos on Tuesday, aiming to collect at least 10 grams of material and return samples to Earth in 2031. The mission will travel to the Martian system aboard Japan’s H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center, and it is scheduled to reach Mars in 2027 and begin detailed observations of Phobos. NASA outlined its contributions to MMX ahead of a 19 October launch, describing a plan to return the first samples from a moon other than Earth’s to laboratories in 2031.
NASA also said the JAXA-led spacecraft is expected to arrive at Mars in August 2027, conduct detailed observations of the two moons, and collect surface material from Phobos no earlier than December 2028. NASA’s Lindsey Hayes said the mission demonstrated the importance of international partnerships, adding, “NASA is proud to be standing alongside JAXA and our international partners in this far-reaching collaboration.”
Instruments and sampling tech
NASA said its principal hardware contributions include the Mars-moon Exploration with Gamma Rays and Neutrons (MEGANE) instrument, developed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and a pneumatic sampling mechanism developed by Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company. David Lawrence, MEGANE Principal Investigator at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, explained that MEGANE will measure the elemental composition of Phobos using gamma-ray and neutron spectroscopy. NASA described the pneumatic sampler, known as the P-Sampler, as using a burst of high-pressure nitrogen gas to collect surface material from Phobos.
Chris Zacny, Vice President of Honeybee Robotics, said the device uses a “vacuum-cleaner-like approach to excavate and capture loose surface material, known as regolith,” without requiring complex mechanical excavation equipment. The Planetary Society said its PlanetVac technology, which blasts out pure nitrogen gas, was tested in 2018 aboard a rocket called Xodiac and successfully collected 332 grams of simulated Martian soil.
What NASA expects to learn
NASA said MMX’s central scientific objective is to determine how Phobos and Deimos formed, examining two competing explanations: that the moons originated as asteroids captured by Mars’ gravity, or that they formed from debris following a major collision involving Mars early in the planet’s history. Tom Statler, NASA’s MMX Program Executive and Program Scientist, said, “By going to the Martian moons, studying them up close, and bringing samples back to Earth, we’ll be able to determine whether Phobos material is more consistent with an asteroid composition or with debris created by a collision involving Mars.” NASA said it would permanently acquire at least 15% of the returned Phobos samples for scientific analysis and long-term preservation.
NASA also said the mission will arrive at Mars in August 2027, collect a sample of the moon’s surface no earlier than December 2028, and deliver it to Earth in 2031. Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington, said, “The samples from MMX will bring forth paradigm-shifting science on the Mars system for generations to come.”