AdWorld Businesses for Sale
Visit World Businesses for Sale
Thinking of selling your business? Buy or sell a business locally, nationally or worldwide. 10% off with code AWN10.
A piece of Mars's moon Phobos, brought home
The full story behind my Short: Japan's MMX sample-return mission, which launched on 19 October 2026.
The short version
Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), led by JAXA with NASA, CNES, DLR and ESA, lifted off at 20:41 BST (8:41pm UK time) on 19 October 2026 from Tanegashima, per JAXA and ESA, and is due to arrive at Mars in August 2027 [1][2]. It will study Phobos and Deimos, deploy the 25kg Idefix rover in early 2029, land in 2030 to collect at least 10g of sample, and return it to Australia in 2031 [1]. Launch confirmed by JAXA and ESA.
8:41pm UKlift-off confirmed, 19 Oct 2026 (20:41 BST) [1]
15 gweight of the 25kg Idefix rover on Phobos [1]
2031sample capsule lands in Australia [1]
What happened
Phobos is about 22km wide [2]. Its origin is unknown: it may be a captured asteroid, or debris from a giant impact on Mars [1][2]. A returned sample, analysed in Earth's best labs, could settle that question and illuminate how Mars and the solar system evolved [1].
MMX will be the first spacecraft to orbit Phobos in a quasi-satellite orbit, the first to collect a sample from a moon beyond our own, and the first to return from the Mars system [1].
Watch the Short
About this page
The Short uses illustrative photos from Wikimedia Commons and an official ESA mission graphic (credited below); they are not live photos of the launch. Times are UK time (BST, UTC+1). JAXA and ESA confirmed lift-off at 8:41pm BST on 19 October 2026. The narration was recorded before launch, so it describes the launch as happening that night.
Why it matters
- Origin story. Phobos and Deimos remain mysterious despite many Mars missions [1].
- Samples multiply discovery. Earth's most precise instruments are too large to fly [1].
- A round-trip first. Returning from the Mars system is a step toward future Mars sample return [1].
Full narration (transcript)
Tonight, Japan launches to Mars's moon Phobos, and will bring a piece home. Lift-off: 8:41 p.m. UK time, H3 rocket, Tanegashima, Japan. It's MMX, the Martian Moons eXploration, led by Japan's agency JAXA. Phobos is just 22 kilometres wide. Where did it come from? Nobody knows. A captured asteroid? Or debris blasted off Mars by a giant impact? MMX reaches Mars in August 2027, to study Phobos and Deimos. In 2029, it drops rover Idefix: 25 kilograms on Earth. On Phobos, that rover weighs about 15 grams. Imagine that. In 2030, MMX lands, scooping at least 10 grams of soil. That sample flies home, landing in Australia in 2031. Tiny grains, huge clues to how Mars and our solar system began. The first sample ever returned from a moon beyond our own. Launch is tonight. Check the description for a confirmed lift-off update. For the full story, follow the link in the description.
Credits
Photos (illustrative unless stated): Phobos colour 2008 (NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona, Public domain); MMX from launch to Phobos (artist / mission graphic) (ESA, ESA official image); MMX from launch to Phobos (artist / mission graphic) (ESA, ESA official image); Phobos PIA10369 (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, Public domain); Mars full disk approach view from Mariner 7 (NASA on The Commons, Public domain); Mars full disk approach view from Mariner 7 (NASA on The Commons, Public domain); Phobos moon (large) (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain); Phobos edit 2 (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, Public domain); Phobos colour 2008 (NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona, Public domain); Mars full disk approach view from Mariner 7 (NASA on The Commons, Public domain); Phobos PIA10369 (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, Public domain); Moon Phobos Deimos (Self Arranged, Public domain); Phobos colour 2008 (NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona, Public domain).