# Japan Launches Mars Moon Mission

> Japan's MMX mission aims to explore Mars' moons and return samples by 2031.
- Title: Japan Launches Mars Moon Mission · France24 | Shortify
- Summary: Japan's MMX mission aims to explore Mars' moons and return samples by 2031. Japan's MMX mission will land on Phobos in 2028-2029 to collect samples from…
- Keywords: japan, mars, phobos, mmx, sample return, rover, idefix, nasa, french space agency, german space agency, european space agency, news
- Source: France24 — https://france24.com/en/technology/20261020-japan-launches-mission-to-explore-mars-moons-and-bring-back-samples
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: japan, mars, phobos, mmx, sample return, rover, idefix, nasa, french space agency, german space agency, european space agency, news
## Japan launches mars moon mission
Japan's spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday for a five-year mission to explore its moons and bring back samples.
## Five space agencies join mission
Five of the world's space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission targeting Phobos, Mars' larger moon.
## Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the spacecraft before dawn from Tanegashima Island, achieving success an hour later.
## First mission to Phobos
No one has ever landed on Phobos or its sidekick Deimos, or fetched samples from Mars.
## Phobos mission timeline
The mission will reach Mars by late next summer, deploy the Idefix rover on Phobos, and return samples by 2031.
## Rover details
Idefix, a 100-day scout rover, will land on Phobos and move at 1 millimetre per second after solar panels deploy.
## Sample collection plan
The lander will drill and vacuum 10 grams of material from Phobos before launching back to Earth in 2031.
## Scientific significance
Studying Phobos could reveal how Mars' moons formed and whether they are stray asteroids.
## Key takeaway

Japan's MMX mission will land on Phobos in 2028-2029 to collect samples from Mars' moon and return them to Earth by 2031.