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Mmx

All articles tagged with #mmx

Japanese MMX Moves to Launch Pad for Phobos Sample-Return Mission
space-exploration1 month ago

Japanese MMX Moves to Launch Pad for Phobos Sample-Return Mission

Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) has reached Tanegashima for a late-2026 launch on the H3 rocket. The mission will collect about 10 grams from Phobos and return the samples to Earth in 2031, aided by the IDEFIX rover to scout a landing site. MMX aims to help determine whether Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids or Mars ejecta, offering insights into Mars’ history and the inner solar system; after delays tied to H3 issues, the project targets a Mars-orbit phase in 2027 and a Phobos landing in 2029.

Six Space Missions to Watch in 2026 After Artemis II
space1 month ago

Six Space Missions to Watch in 2026 After Artemis II

After Artemis II's Moon flyby, six major missions are set to launch in 2026: China's Chang'e 7 will land near the lunar south pole with a rover and a small flying probe; NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will survey large swaths of the sky in infrared; ESA's PLATO will hunt for Earth-sized exoplanets in habitable zones; JAXA's MMX aims to land on Phobos and return a sample to Earth by 2031; ESA's Hera will study the Didymos–Dimorphos asteroid system after the DART impact; and BepiColombo will arrive at Mercury with two orbiters to map the planet and its environment.

Lunar Returns and Martian Moons on the Horizon: 2026’s Space Lineup
science4 months ago

Lunar Returns and Martian Moons on the Horizon: 2026’s Space Lineup

A busy 2026 space agenda features NASA's crewed Artemis II lunar-orbit test, Blue Origin's Pathfinder lunar lander flight, China's Chang'e-7 and Tianwen-2 missions (with a 2027 sample return), Japan's MMX mission to study Phobos and Deimos, and Mengzhou’s upgrade plan for Shenzhou—though MMX may slip to 2027 after a rocket test setback.

"Japan's Mars Mission Launch Postponed to 2026"
space-exploration2 years ago

"Japan's Mars Mission Launch Postponed to 2026"

The Japanese space agency JAXA has delayed the launch of its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission to 2026, citing the need for additional time to verify the spacecraft and the impact of the failed launch of the H3 rocket. The mission, originally scheduled for 2024, aims to collect samples from the Martian moon Phobos and return them to Earth for analysis, with the revised schedule targeting a sample return in 2031.