Science 23 sources · over 5 days 27 articles

Japan prepares to launch first mission to return Martian moon samples

Japan's MMX spacecraft is scheduled to launch on October 20, beginning a planned five-year mission to bring Phobos samples home and investigate how Mars's moons formed.

Read the full story → · Latest coverage 19 Oct 2026, 5:04 pm UTC

Key moments · 5

NASA outlines its role in Japan's MMX mission

NASA Breaking News Space ↗

Mission plan puts Martian orbit before Phobos sampling

The Conversation ↗

H3 launch scheduled from Tanegashima for October 20

World News CNA ↗

Idefix rover highlighted ahead of planned Phobos landing

Franceinfo ↗

Sample return target remains set for 2031

Times of India ↗

Coverage by day

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20 articles

  1. Japan: Erfolgreicher Raketenstart für Mission zum Marsmond Phobos
    DER SPIEGEL - Schlagzeilen – Tops
  2. Japan Launches Probe in First Sampling Mission to a Moon of Mars
    Bloomberg Technology
  3. Japan Launches World-First Mission To Moon Of Mars
    NDTV News - World-news News
  4. Japan launches probe in historic bid to collect sample from Mars moon
    Japan Times
  5. Watch: Japan launches historic mission to explore Mars’ moons and bring back samples
    Times of India

13 articles

  1. Japan's MMX mission set to grab a piece of Mars's moon Phobos
    BBC - Home
  2. Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon
    World News News
  3. Watch Japan launch the first ever Mars-bound mission designed to come back
    Mashable Tech
  4. Japão lançará missão espacial inédita rumo à lua de Marte para coletar amostras e trazê-las à Terra
    CNN Brasil
  5. Japan's MMX mission aims to swipe soil samples from Mars's moon Phobos
    Phys.org

2 articles

  1. Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon Phobos
    New Scientist
  2. Japan’s MMX mission aims to swipe soil samples from Mars’ moon Phobos
    The Conversation

1 article

  1. NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons in Upcoming Mission
    NASA Breaking News Space