# Japan launches Mars moon sample mission

> JAXA's MMX probe will investigate Phobos and Deimos with French and German help, returning material to Earth in 2031.
- Title: Japan launches Mars moon sample mission · RFI | Shortify
- Summary: JAXA's MMX probe will investigate Phobos and Deimos with French and German help, returning material to Earth in 2031. Japan launched the MMX spacecraft to…
- Keywords: japan, jaxa, mars, phobos, deimos, space exploration, sample return mission, france, germany, news, world, launches
- Source: RFI — https://rfi.fr/en/japan-takes-aim-at-the-moons-of-mars-with-french-and-german-technology-space-exploration
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: japan, jaxa, mars, phobos, deimos, space exploration, sample return mission, france, germany, news, world
## Japan launches to Mars's moons
JAXA successfully launched the Martian Moons eXploration mission from Tanegashima Space Centre on Tuesday aboard an H3 rocket.
## A narrow launch window closes
JAXA had allowed for further launch attempts until nine November if necessary. Missing this opportunity means waiting roughly another two years.
## The mission timeline unfolds
The spacecraft is expected to reach the Martian system in two thousand twenty-seven and spend around three years investigating Phobos and Deimos before returning samples in two thousand thirty-one.
## European partners contribute technology
France and Germany are contributing a small rover, while a French-built infrared instrument will examine the moons' surfaces and identify suitable landing sites.
## Two competing theories about origins
Phobos and Deimos could be asteroids captured by Mars's gravity, or they may have formed from debris thrown into space by a massive collision involving the planet.
## Japan's proven sample-return expertise
Hayabusa returned particles from asteroid Itokawa in two thousand ten. Hayabusa two delivered samples from asteroid Ryugu to Earth in two thousand twenty.
## The Idefix rover scouts first
Developed by France's CNES and Germany's DLR, the four-wheeled Idefix rover will land on Phobos ahead of the main spacecraft, expected to cover perhaps one hundred metres over around one hundred days.
## Samples return to Earth in 2031
MMX plans two sampling landings targeting different locations to collect at least ten grams of regolith. Samples will reach Earth in two thousand thirty-one inside a protective capsule destined for landing in Australia.
## Key takeaway

Japan launched the MMX spacecraft to Mars's two moons on Tuesday to collect samples and determine their origins, with results expected in 2031.