Japan eyes Mars’ moons for first sample-return voyage

Japan’s JAXA plans the unmanned MMX mission to orbit Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos, landing on Phobos to collect at least 10 grams of material and returning a capsule to Earth around 2031, in collaboration with CNES, DLR, NASA and ESA. The mission aims to shed light on how Mars and its moons formed and how water, volatiles, and organics reached the inner solar system, as rival China pursues its Tianwen-3 sample-return and NASA’s Perseverance is noted as having samples but described as effectively canceled in the article.