Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is a robotic space probe set for launch in 2026 to bring back the first samples from Mars‘ largest moon Phobos.

Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and announced on 9 June 2015, MMX will land and collect samples from Phobos once or twice, along with conducting Deimos flyby observations and monitoring Mars’s climate. The mission aims to provide key information to help determine whether the Martian moons are captured asteroids or the result of a larger body hitting Mars. JAXA and other Japanese government officials officially approved the MMX project to proceed into development on 19 February 2020. The probe arrived at Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on 31 March 2026, and it is expected to launch towards Mars on 19 October 2026 (20 October in Japanese time) during the year’s launch window.

Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon