Japan Prepares to Launch Historic Spacecraft to Collect Samples From a Martian Moon: What the MMX Mission Could Reveal About Mars
Japan is preparing for one of the most ambitious planetary science missions ever attempted. On October 20, 2026, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is scheduled to launch its Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, known as MMX, on a journey to Phobos, one of Mars's two small moons. The spacecraft is designed to study both Phobos and Deimos, land on Phobos, collect samples of its surface…